Destiny Fated Black
by Genatools
Summary: One action on one night would change the future forever for one man. Mercury Black failed to defeat his father, and as a result, Marcus Black went on to live his life as the assassin he was trained to be. Living with the atrocities that he has committed throughout his life with hardly any regrets. When he finds himself forced to work for someone else, however, everything changes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all newcomers, and those who have already been reading my stories, to a new one that I have been thinking about for a couple of months. This story is going to be different, and a breath of fresh and unique air for me. This story will be darker and won't be focused on humour all that much. I'll do my best to bring the quality of my writing up as much as I can, and I am glad I have had the practice with my other stories to do so. **

**Small tiny summary, as I stated in the actual summary, this is sort of a 'What If?' kind of story. But with a **_**lot **_**of fanfiction thrown into the mix. As far as I know, the only information we do have on Marcus Black is that he was Mercury's dad, who was an assassin who trained him and whom he killed the day Cinder came to pick him up, and that his semblance was stealing or locking away other peoples semblances. So that is basically all I have to go off of from the cannon. So you know what that means! **_**Character and world building time! **_

**Again...**

* * *

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

An exhausted man, white of hair, staggered his way through the ruined remains of what once was one of the most active rooms in the Beacon tower. He uses a railing for support, for a stab wound in his hip prevents him from moving any faster because of the pain. His breathing is ragged and laboured. His eyes, already black, seemed even darker as he looked around the room. Bodies. Dead bodies. Students and staff members alike littered the floor. Sighing, he shook his head and kept moving. A man of his profession couldn't allow his heart to care for those he knows nothing of, he would be driven mad if he did.

He stopped when he spotted a screen of one of the computers still operational against all odds, the cursor of the mouse idle in position over a browser unknown to him. Chuckling, a blood stained smile tore through his lips as he made his way toward the monitor.

The relaxing sensation of taking a seat after everything that has happened that day was euphoric. The pain in his legs and muscles faded somewhat, and he felt like he could fall asleep right then and there. He couldn't. There was still one more thing left to do.

Using skills taught to him by a certain organization, he reached both his hands forward and began typing away at the computer. A black admin screen came up, and after a few more commands he managed to get a video recording with the somehow still stable camera viewing him in the rectangular window in the middle of the screen. He saw himself, a man with a thousand wounds smiling a bloody smile as he looked into the camera.

"My name is Marcus Black," The white haired man in the video began. Now that he could see himself he could see how his red and black sleeveless shirt was torn and burned in places, his gloved hands in a similar condition. The only things that were in one piece were his pants and boots, also a black color. "I don't really know why I've decided to do this, especially after everything that's happened, I guess I never stopped being… well, _me_."

"I got a story to tell, why? Because, well, why not?" Marcus laughed. "Take this as a sort of… explanation. Motives for why I am partly responsible for all this shit going down and whatnot. Why I killed the people I did… I'm not a good person, never have been and probably never will be. But hey, by the end of this story," He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees after wiping blood off of his face.

"You just might understand me."

* * *

_Now, this all started the day I killed my son..._

It felt so long ago, but in reality it was a little over two years ago. Marcus Black ran a hand through his snow white hair, while the other reached for a glass full of his favorite booze. After downing the entire glass in one go, he scratched at the stubble growing on his cheeks, and sighed as he looked at the bartender with a waiting expression on his face.

To the public eye, the dark skinned man serving him drinks may have just been as they saw. A simple bartender, trying to make a living. But Marcus knew that couldn't be farther from the truth, it was a cover for the everyday person to get lost in. "You have another request Black." The informant told him. "This one is different from your other missions."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "I don't like different. You know that. Different means I need to expect things I didn't expect before. Things that could mean the difference between a successful and a failed mission."

"As I am more than aware of." The bartender replied, his name tag said 'Brett' on it, but not even Marcus knew what the man's true name may have been. Not that he cared for it anyway, as long as he did his job, and he did his, their relationship would remain mutually beneficial. Neither trusted the other however, and Marcus knew that if it came down to it, Brett would betray him, just like he would him. Somehow, that made meeting with Brett all the more exciting. "You are the best of the hitmen we have to hire on this continent of Vale, but our list of associates grows smaller with each passing year. Some are captured, killed, or desert our organization. But this particular mission of yours could not only mean a hefty paycheck, but also gain us the reputation we are so desperately in need of."

"Hmph." Marcus tutted, leaning his head on one of his hands. He didn't use to be the best hitman available in Vale. But the one before him who was deemed to be better than him now laid underneath the ground after a hit was placed on _his _head. The look in his eyes as Marcus dug a small blade into his chest was half as satisfying as it was relieving for him. His family was well known among this secret organization of assassins, his bloodline traced all the way back to the beginning of this organization, back even before the Great War. The Black's were always assassins, no matter what. It was a sort of tradition for them. Each time a new Black was born by any means, and be it male or female, white hair or silver hair, they were always assassins. What made them so deadly to even the modern Huntsman was their semblance that would be passed down as long as Black genes flowed through the blood of ones veins. Even if one was born with something different, the next generation always had a chance of inheriting it. A semblance that can steal away other semblances. So many people relied on their aura and semblances to see them through to the end of whatever fight they may be in, but suddenly being without it made them vulnerable. Killable. It was why Marcus was a wanted man, he was a Hunter killer. "You know I couldn't give less of a shit on rep, all I care about is the reward."

"Which is why this is perfect for you." Brett replied, smirking slyly.

"Oh boy, this should be good."

"Indeed it will be, but it is also high risk. Which was why you were specifically chosen _and _requested by our most recent customer." Brett said.

"Name?" Marcus asked, drinking another glass of booze just as he requested a few moments ago.

"The woman would only go by the name _Fall_, says that she will reveal her full name when she comes to pick you up from your home-"

Marcus cut him off by slamming his hand against the bar. Brett flinched and stepped back, the guards of the bar inching their hands toward their weapons. Marcus seethed with anger, and he looked into Brett's eyes with a burning hatred. "You told them where I live!?" He asked, temper flaring. "What kind of idiot are you? And you better have a good answer, because I am _really _not in the mood anymore."

"You never are, Black. However, now is the time to stay calm." Brett said in a calm quiet voice. "You know as well as I do that I do not do anything unless told too. These orders came from The Alpha himself."

Marcus only got angrier, he hated any mention of that man. The boss of this whole thing never did show himself to anyone, only appearing through words and calls, and even then his face has never been seen. Smart, Marcus figured. It would have been a security breach for the face of the one running this whole show to be able to be known by face or name. The only name he _did _have was 'The Alpha'. Which was a stupid nickname, in Marcus' opinion. He was the see it to believe it kind of guy, and he wouldn't believe that this guy was the best until he saw it for himself.

He hated him, and he would have loved to put an end to him himself. Marcus once tried to desert the organization, for a woman he'd married of course. But after giving birth to his son she was killed. _Sudden postpartum illness_, they called it. Bullshit, Marcus called it. He found himself roped back into it, and now he had to train the next generation of Black assassins. To train a son who hated him, who thought that _he _was the one to kill his mother. It never mattered that he tried to deny it time and time again. Mercury hated his guts. Just like Marcus hated his father before him.

"Damn it." Marcus said, resigning himself to submission. He was surrounded here, he may be the best assassin and a Hunter killer, but even he had limits when there were a dozen other hitmen and hit-women sitting around him. Even he didn't like those odds where he could be overwhelmed so easily. They were nothing like the White Fang, they wouldn't go in one by one and get shocked at how he was killing them with ease. They would attack from every direction and kill him within seconds if he didn't somehow get his back to a wall, and even then his chances would be slim.

His analysis of his surroundings may have just saved his life. Because as he unclenched his fist and pressed his boots back into the ground, the metallic clang of his bionic legs echoed around the bar for an instant of a second, everyone else relaxed and went back to their casual conversations, and those who didn't know what was going on also relaxed. Sheep, they were. Marcus thought.

"When is she coming?" Marcus asked, his voice flat and robotic.

Brett relaxed as he took a step toward the bar. The splintered wood on the counter top was obnoxious for him to have to pay to repair, but he knew asking Marcus to fork him over some lien would only lead to his head rolling along the ground. He was no fighter, he was simply a broker, and a passer of information. He knew a lot however, so much important information on every kingdom, it was what made him just as dangerous as any assassin. With a push of a button, he could ruin lives, and everyone who cared enough to look into him knew that.

"Tonight," Brett said.

"So soon?" Marcus asked. "This is on very short notice, if this mission I'm supposed to go on is so important, why was I only made aware of it the day she is coming to pick me up?"

"The Alpha's orders, Black." That same excuse nearly convinced Marcus to give in to his desires and kill him right there. "I am afraid I do not have such information, only that you should head home now, and prepare to travel. What I do know is that this mission partakes in Vale, which is some distance away from where we are now."

Marcus only lived a few miles away from this bar. A modest house on top of a hill, something he built with his wife Olivia. If only she could live to see what it looked like now… He shook his head, burning away the memory from his immediate thoughts.

Vale… he's been there before, used to live there in fact. Decent memories and decent people, it was part of his training forced upon him by his own father, Mason Black. It definitely made him stronger, strong enough to kill him since his father wasn't blessed with the ability to steal semblances like he was, being silver haired like his own son.

"Fine then," He said, standing up and throwing a coin on the table. A Black coin. "Use that to pay for the drinks, I'll be back for my change later."

"As you will Mister Black." Brett said, bowing his head toward him. He only ever called him 'Mister Black' in the beginning and end of every conversation. Never during. "I will await your return, whenever it may be."

"Depends on what happens, it may happen sooner or later." Marcus shrugged as he started walking out of the bar, reaching into his pocket to bring out a metal container of cigarettes. Clicking it open and sucking out one for him to smoke. "For now though, see ya."

* * *

Marcus walked through the woods on a beaten path he has grown used to taking. It was a shortcut only known to him and his son in order to get to their home. Well, it was known to _one _more person… But that was a long time ago. That was a past long buried. His white hair was so bright in the midday sun, it amused him thinking of the people who once thought he might have been the bastard of a Schnee, since they are known for their snow white hair. He might have been able to pass as one of them if he puts on some icy blue colored contacts on his eyes. As he was now, if he tried to pretend to be a Schnee he would stick out like a sore thumb with those black eyes of his. So dark you could hardly see the pupil in them. His son had similar colored eyes, if only a little lighter with more of a dark grey color rather than black.

The walk was a short one, one that seemed to get shorter every time he took it. He saw his house through the clearing and the dirt hardened path that lead up to it. The dark brown wooden house sat on its hill like something out of some happy little fairy tale. Hmph, there was no happy ending when it came to a member of the Black family.

Moving past the few final trees he was met with a gush of wind that blew his white hair out and about. Emotionlessly, he stepped onto the dirt path and started making his way up the hill toward his home, where his son would be waiting for their next training session. It would be their final one before he either took him with him to Vale for this mission, or left him to fend for himself like his father did to him when he was Mercury's age now. He wasn't his father though, he swore that he would never be after…

"Mercury!" Marcus called out for his son as he unlocked the door to their home. "Get over here, got something to tell you before we train." He said absentmindedly as he pushed open the door, only to turn around and start walking around the house itself to the back. The backyard of his home was their personal training ground, he flattened out the landscape long ago, and put all sorts of obstacles and even a weapon rack where several different kinds of weapons were hung up on. Even though just like himself, Mercury preferred to fight by kicking and general hand to hand combat, it was always good to know how to work your way around a blade or any other kind of weapon. Marcus himself was good at hand to hand, good enough to beat Hunters anyway, but he was even more lethal with a knife or dagger. Which was why he always kept two or three hidden around his clothing just in case he was disarmed or caught off guard.

"Here." He heard Mercury tell him as he walked out of the house, he still had bandages around his legs, reminding Marcus of the operation he did on his son to give him the bionic legs that he has now. It was something his father did to him, and as much as he hated his father he couldn't deny how much stronger they made his kicks the more he used them. So, he gave them to Mercury as well, to make him stronger. He was seventeen years old, and was more lethal than even he was when he was that age a long time ago. That fact gave him a strange sense of pride as he looked over one shoulder to acknowledge him.

"Your old man's going to be going out on another run to the grocery store." Marcus said as he went down to one knee to look at the rack of dulled weapons he was aiming to train with today.

"Yeah?" Mercury asked, walked behind him. Marcus disregarded this, his son may have hated him, but he wouldn't try anything stupid as long as he was locked away from his semblance.

"Yeah," Marcus confirmed, running a few fingers through the stubble on his face as he thought on which weapon to choose from. "And you're coming with me."

"Really…?" His son asked, and he could sense him raising an eyebrow behind him.

"Yeah," Marcus chuckled, realizing that this was the third time either of them had said 'yeah'. Like Father like Son as they say. "Do good enough and I might even give you back your semblance." He said, adopting a more serious tone as he stood back up from the ground. Then crossed a thumb across the edge of the blade to see if it was dull, it was still sharp, if he pressed down hard enough without using his aura he could cut his skin, but wouldn't do much against aura. He could use his fist and do more damage than this thing. Perfect. At the lack of the sound of Mercury's response, Marcus looked over the weapon rack again, narrowing his eyes when he saw that a blunt weapon was missing. "Say, where's the-"

Stars invaded his vision as something hard crashed against the side of his skull. His aura was too little too late in defending him from the damage, and so he took the full brunt of it. His son was strong too, so he went soaring off of his feet and off into the distance a few meters before smashing into the ground, bouncing once before coming to a sliding stop. Black dots still in his sight, Marcus coughed and rubbed his temple to try and rid himself of the pain. Doing a poor job of it.

"Three years!" He heard Mercury scream at him, voice full of so much hatred it made him feel nauseous. "I've been waiting for this for three years!" He heard Mercury take steps toward him, the metal soles in his shoes digging into the dirt with each step. "Ever since you stole my semblance, and even longer before that!"

"M-Mercury-" Marcus spat up spit as his son kicked him in the chest, but this time his aura kicked in and protected him from the damage, but didn't save him from slamming into the side of the house. As his son stomped his way toward him again, he reached a hand to the back of his head, and his hand came back red. He was caught off guard, and he was now rocked and disoriented. Mercury planned this, he was finally going to try and kill him, just like Marcus killed his father before him, just like his own father killed his. It was a long cycle of son's killing their fathers and/or mothers, a cycle that was about to repeat itself once again here. With a son looking at his father with very clear murderous intent.

Growling in his anger, Marcus shot back up to his feet and dodged to the left, Mercury's metal leg crashed through the outer wall of their house, getting stuck momentarily long enough for Marcus to reel his hand back and smash it against Mercury's nose. No amount of aura can protect an attack directed toward that specific part of the face. Marcus would know.

"Stop this madness Mercury!" Marcus demanded angrily as his son pushed himself up from the ground, rubbing a hand across his face to feel up the damage done to it. "I didn't kill your mother, believe it or not I loved her! We are _not _doing this right now, _stay down_!"

One of his eyes flinched closes and a shock of pain shot through his skull and his brain. The damage done to his head was more extensive than he previously thought. He nearly fell down to one knee just because of the pain. Just what the hell did Mercury hit him with!? He dragged a hand through his white hair, now stained with red near the back. Once more it came back bloody. His eyes felt heavier as his vision blurred.

"All this time telling me not to ever let my guard down," Mercury laughed, standing back up with a cocky smirk of his face inherited from his father. "And you fall for the easiest trick in the book, I didn't even have to distract you." Gesturing to a splintered wooden club, Marcus followed his gesture and saw just what was smashed against his head. It was the blunt weapon he was looking for, the only one of those weapons that was dangerous enough to actually injure somebody if used correctly. "You wanted me to get strong, I _got _strong." His son spat in his face. He only just realized he was that close when he sensed an attack coming his way.

Marcus' aura slammed in automatically and not a second sooner, he felt a knee push up into his groin, a dirty trick but one he used plenty of times to give him an eke over some of his targets. A trick he'd taught Mercury to use against an opponent he knew was better than he was. Though he may have been much more dangerous and lethal than his son, fighting with a concussion and blurred vision could give anyone the advantage against him, and they both knew that. This time when his son struck him, he felt himself get pushed up against the wall of their home. Where a forearm was being pushed into his neck, and he was forced to stare into the dark eyes of his son as he tried to strangle him to death. Marcus fell back on his training and slammed down with both fists to each elbow of Mercury, forcing them to bend and weaken their grip, then he pried one off of him and kicked him away. However, when he tried to follow through with the attack another stab of pain shot through his mind, staggering him long enough for Mercury to kick a leg toward him, a projectile firing out of the built in mechanism within his leg. The pants he was wearing were torn as the attack fired itself, and Marcus found himself looking up at the ceiling of the home he built with his own two hands with rubble from the walls scattered around him. Stars danced in his vision as he himself up on his elbows, watching with blurred vision as his son stepped through the hole he had just made, the sun going down behind him in a red-orange sky.

"You said that you took my semblance away from me because I was weak," Mercury said. "Because I was using it as a crutch, that you would give it back once I proved that I was strong enough. Well? Am I strong enough now for you?"

Marcus chuckled, and smiled despite the pain in his head. "Hell no," He said between laughs. "If you didn't catch me off guard like that, this fight would already be over." He pointed out, pushing himself up from the floor and cracking his neck as he stood up. "You're still weak Merky, even if you kill me now, your semblance will never return to you."

Mercury sneered at the nickname his father gave him years ago, and growled as he realized he really was never going to get his semblance back. He might have been able to before if he went on whatever mission Marcus was going to take him on, but now there was little to no chance. "Whatever," Mercury said, spitting to the side. "I'll just take your place after I kill you, just like you always wanted me too."

"Idiot." Marcus hissed. "If I was able to get what I wanted, we wouldn't even be here anymore, and your mother would still be alive." He admitted quietly. Memories flashed through his mind for a moment, the memory of being in Mercury's place once before many years ago. The cycle was continuing… However, not if he had anything to say about it. "I'm warning you now Mercury, stop this, or else I'll be forced to put you down."

Wind blew through the house, ruffling both white and silver hair as father and son stood against each other, each of them bleeding from some kind of wound or another. Marcus from his aching head, and Mercury from his nose. Both were trained assassins, yet only one of them had the experience in the matter. Marcus may be old in his early forties, physically looking half that, but he was stronger and faster than Mercury, even if he was dazed as he was. Mercury was skilled and had more stamina, being much younger and in great shape and enhanced with metal legs. He has never killed a person before, but Marcus doubted he'd feel bad about his first kill if it was him. Mercury always hated his father, and Marcus thought himself a fool for not considering the possibility of kinslaying to be something Mercury would be willing to commit. It was something all Blacks were able of. It ran in their in their blood. Marcus himself slayed kin twice just in his lifetime.

"No. I don't think you will." Mercury said, slowly stepping toward him.

Marcus shook his head and sighed. There was no getting through to his son, he was never good at being a father, he never thought he'd ever be meant to be one. It was showing now, because he no longer tried to talk his son down. If he hated him this much, he can try to do something about it.

No more words, Marcus decided. If he needed to beat his son down until he was black and blue all over if that was what it took to shut him up, then he would. So when Mercury jumped up and tried to spin kick him, it was like flicking a switch on for him. Marcus ducked under the kick and drove his elbow up into Mercury's thigh, where he knew there wouldn't be any metal to hurt his own elbow on. His son groaned in pain and fell to the ground, but kept his momentum going until he scrambled into the kitchen. Marcus ran after him, his vision swimming and blurring still, but he was able to keep his senses about him. Being an assassin meant that you needed to use more than just your eyes to keep track of a target, hearing, smell, that strange sense in the back of your mind that warns you whenever someone was watching you, anything and everything.

Which was why when he smelled the scent of propane, Marcus dove for cover behind the dining table. Flipping it over and using it as cover to block most of the explosion from swallowing him whole. When the initial burst of flames stopped, Marcus dared to look up and see the damage that was done to his home.

It was utter chaos on destruction, Marcus thought himself a fool for hoping for any less. He didn't stare for long, because from around the corner he could see his son, aura activated, running through the flames. He crossed his arms into a guard to block the foot that might have caved his chest in if it landed. He skidded across the wooden floor, and then grabbed Mercury's foot, screaming as he spun with him and threw him out the window, shattering it completely.

Pain throbbed in his head once more, one of his eyes was forced closed and he needed to use the wall for support. The air was hot and smoky, his eyes were watering because of it, and his white hair was being singed gray by the black smoke. Once he started coughing he threw himself out the window as well, which only made the pain in his skull even worse once he impacted the hard dirt.

He didn't get any chance to regain his senses as Mercury pounced on him again, sensing his weakness. Marcus looked through one eye as Mercury stomped and kicked at him while he was down. The bones in his forearms felt like they were going to break which each kick that slammed into him, and his snow white aura flared with each attack that landed on him. After the seventh kick, Marcus' guard broke, and he took a kick straight into his stomach, folding him over and sending him sliding against the ground several feet.

It started to rain as Marcus cracked his eyes open again. His home was on fire, his son was trying to kill him, and now it was raining on top of all of that. Anger was what fueled him to force his pained body back up from the ground, which only seemed to anger his murderous son.

"Just stay down and die old man!" Mercury screamed at him.

"RARGH!" Marcus screamed suddenly as he caught Mercury's next kick with just his one gloved hand. Mercury's widened eyes told him that he was not expecting that in the slightest, and with inhuman strength Marcus squeezed down on Mercury's foot and pulled him in for a clothesline.

He fell with his son to the ground, and his bicep felt sore where it slammed against his sons aura. Luckily he hit him in such a way that it stunned him nonetheless. Thinking quickly, he jumped at the opportunity to pounce on his downed son. He was still dazed, concussed, and stars still flew in his vision. Which meant he couldn't fight properly on his feet. He needed to use this opening to his advantage and make sure Mercury didn't get back up from this so quickly.

Mercury opened his eyes to a fist slamming into his cheek. Marcus kept pounding down even as Mercury raised his arms to defend himself, using his grey aura to protect his body the best he could. Marcus knew better however. Striking in the same spot every time would only lead to him tiring himself out and even hurting his own fists against his sons aura. So he attacked in every spot that he could, in the hip, the spots underneath and between the ribs, the neck, temples, anywhere he could get a fist to.

With every punch that he threw however, his head throbbed more and more. The pain got worse and worse as he kept moving, thinking, and reacting to what his son threw at him. It got to the point where he missed a punch and slammed it into the dirt, giving Mercury the chance to trap his arm and kick him off of him. Marcus rolled to the side and quickly pushed himself up to one knee, pressing a hand against the wound in his head to try and dull the pain. It didn't help much.

Mercury was bruised and battered up as he stood back up from the ground, his lips was busted and his eye was bruised and purple. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose alike, and the burning hatred in his eyes didn't change at all.

"Final warning," Marcus said as he clambered back up to his feet. "Don't make me do this Mercury." Hoping against all hope that he would actually back down.

"Shut up!" Mercury screamed, running toward him with a knife in hand. Marcus' eyes went wide as he realized once of his hidden knives were stolen from him, probably sometime during their grappling session Mercury was able to steal it from him. He had another knife in his boot, but reaching down to try and grab it while Mercury was running at him would only make him vulnerable.

He should have died right then and there really, with the throbbing pain in his brain he was barely able to keep his eyes open. However, something changed within him, something shifted. He felt a strength like he was at full stamina, and suddenly Mercury found himself victim of a disarming move that ended in him being thrown over one shoulder, landing on his butt with his arm trapped in one of Marcus'. He coughed and hacked as he tried to pry the arm off from around his neck with his one free arm, but was forced to stop to halt the knife from stabbing into his chest. His aura was tired and spent. The fight was going on long enough, even if it only lasted a few minutes.

"Stop. Fighting." Marcus gritted at him. The blood from his head dripping onto his sons face.

Mercury spat up at him.

Marcus narrowed his eyes, not even bothering to wipe the blood and spit that was spat up into his face. Mercury kept fighting, even with a knife nearly stabbing into his chest. He was biting and clawing to try and get out of this hold that Marcus had him in. He wasn't going to get out, Marcus was making sure of that. Unless Mercury suddenly gained all his aura and strength back he wasn't going to break out of this. He was going to keep fighting with him as long as there was life within his body.

Marcus shut his eyes, and sighed. "The cycle ends here." He whispered.

He felt Mercury struggling in his grasp as he drove the knife into his sons heart. He still fought him for a few seconds, and Marcus forced his eyes open to look into his sons eyes as he died. For the first time in a long time, those eyes weren't full of hatred and anger, but sadness and fear. He didn't want to die, he was just a kid. Yet he died anyway. Marcus felt his sons body go slack in his arms, and he wrenched the knife out of his chest and slid it back into the sheath on his thigh.

He felt almost nothing. Killing was second nature to him, his son had an effect on him, but no tears could be brought forth to fall down his face. Instead, Marcus let Mercury's body fall flat on the ground, still bleeding from a stab wound in his heart. Then looked around to the chaos that was once his home.

His house was on fire, the rain did nothing to put it out. His son laid dead in the wet dirt, and now there was nothing for him here. Just like that, in the span of just a few minutes. Marcus sighed through his nose as he knelt down again to loot his sons pockets for the scroll that he gave him long ago, suspecting something. Mercury wouldn't have just tried this without some sort of motive, more of what he already had anyway. Looking through it, he pressed a few buttons and bypassed the passcode that his son had on it, and looked through his messages. His son had no friends, so the fact that he had two contacts, one labeled "Asshole" for his father, was enough for Marcus to nearly squeeze the scroll hard enough to destroy it.

Hacking into the scroll, he brought up the internal command console. A hidden app only accessible by those who were looking for it, and after typing in a few more commands, he found what he was looking for.

A string of messages between Mercury and the assassins that Marcus worked with, the final message sent to his son was something that angered him to no end.

There was a hit placed on Marcus' head, and it was specifically sent to Mercury. The reward for killing him would have granted his son freedom to do whatever he wanted for the rest of his life. Marcus screamed in anguished and threw the scroll away after destroying it in his hand.

"You assholes…" Marcus seethed. "Now you have given me nothing left to lose…"

Despite his declaration of war, Marcus stood back up and went to sit down on a rock on the side of the dirt path leading to what was left of his burning home. He reached up and felt the wound on his head, which finally stopped bleeding thankfully. The rain washed the blood from his hair, rendering it back to its snow white color.

He sat there for hours. The red-orange sky turned purple and dark blue as the son fell behind the curvature of the planet. Marcus kept sitting on that rock, deep in thought, the body of his dead son a few meters away from him. It was a wonder how no Grimm sniffed out the negative energy radiating from that area. He sat there until two women walked out of the woods, taking the same path he took to get here.

There was a woman with short black hair that only reached down to her chin, wearing a red dress made for battle, she had two swords holstered behind her back. The girl next to her looked the same age as his son was, but with dark skin, red eyes, and mint colored hair. The latter of the two had eyes that widened almost comically as she looked at the destruction that was once his home. Stopping for a moment to take in the sight of the dead boy laying beside him.

The one with the orange eyes placed a hand on her shoulder, and that seemed to calm her. Right away Marcus noted that the green haired girl relied on the older woman some way or another. He let them walk up to him until they were just about ten feet away from him. His black eyes staring at them the whole time.

"Are you Marcus Black?" The one with the red dress asked him.

"That's me." He confirmed darkly. "You that Fall chick?"

"I am. You may call me Cinder."

Marcus huffed. "Telling me your name already?"

"I know yours, it is only fair that you know mine as well." Cinder replied. She was good at talking, Marcus noted. "What happened here?" She asked next.

Marcus gestured to his dead son. "He tried to kill me." He said. "It didn't turn out so well for him."

"Who is he?" The green haired girl asked.

"Now, now Emerald." Cinder shushed her gently. "Let us not pry into this man's personal life, an assassin is bound to have enemies after all, especially one with such a long list of confirmed kills."

"Hmph, he was my son." Marcus said anyway. "You'd find out one way or another, he was my son. Mercury. He tried to kill me, and well… I didn't let him." He explained simply, tapping a finger against his head. "Got me pretty good at the beginning though."

"I see…" Cinder looked unsure all of a sudden. Marcus smirked at her. She hid her shock well, but Marcus was just as good at spotting little signs like that. She obviously never met a man who killed his own son, even for her that must have been something unexpected to hear. "Was the battle difficult?" She asked.

What happened to not prying into this man's personal life? Marcus wanted to ask. "Not hard enough." He said instead. "Kid was weak, ever since I took his semblance away he kept whining about it. Damn kid." Marcus spat to the side.

"So what I was told _is _true." Cinder smiled. "You have a semblance that can steal other semblances, that will be _very _helpful." She said, almost in a seductive way. "Very helpful indeed."

"Yup." Marcus shrugged his shoulders. Then stood up from the rock. He was a full head taller than Cinder and this Emerald girl. They had to turn their necks up to look him in the eyes. "But here's the thing, I sorta have nothing else to lose anymore," He gestured to what used to be his home. "So whatever reward you have for me better be worth a lifetime of killing, because I am not in the mood to be strung around anymore."

Leaning on one hip, Cinder's proposal was short and very sweet. "I will guarantee your freedom from this organization." She said.

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Tried that once, didn't go well."

"Believe me when I say this, Marcus Black." Cinder said, taking steps closer to him. Emerald hissed a warning to her to stay back, calling him dangerous. She was right, of course, but what she failed to see what Cinder and Marcus could see was that he was in no condition to fight them both off right now. Cinder knew that, and smartly called him out on his bluff by getting a mere two feet away from him, and reached a hand up to cup his face. It felt warm to the touch. Marcus didn't back away from her. "Come with me, and I _promise _you. I will make sure that you become a free man, personally if I must."

Marcus smirked. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess it's an offer I can't refuse." He actually couldn't refuse it, because he knew these kinds of people. He might have just been killed on the spot if he refused. He was going to join them anyway however. Getting far away from this place to a massive city like Vale would help him hide away from the other assassins that would without a doubt get the message about the hit on his head.

"However, I got one condition." He said as a thought popped into his head.

Cinder smirked and nodded her head, taking her hand away from his face. "State your condition."

"There's a few people at a certain bar near here, a few people that I don't want to see the sun tomorrow." Marcus' face darkened. "I'm not exactly in the best condition to take them all on by myself, so if you could help me out with that, you can count on my _undivided _loyalty for whatever it is you need to do."

"Done." Cinder said, extending a hand toward him.

"Cinder! Are you sure about this?" Emerald asked, one hand on her weapon.

"Are you questioning me, child?" Cinder inquired back, her voice stern and deadly serious. Marcus snickered as the green haired girl shook like a leaf and bowed her head in surrender.

"N-no, of course not. You know best."

"That I do." Cinder smiled, and looked back into his black eyes. "And a few lives to gain this mans loyalty is a necessary sacrifice for me to make. You have a deal Marcus Black."

Marcus looked at her hand, and smirked. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. "Indeed you do." He said, taking her hand and shaking it.

* * *

Brett just placed the final glass on the shelf, getting ready to close things down. The other assassins in the bar were placing some bets on how long it would take for someone to take down Marcus Black. He sighed, lethal as they were, they lacked in intelligence at times. Even if Marcus' fate was all but decided at this point. It has been several hours since he has given his son Mercury the order to kill his father, and he knew that Marcus wouldn't be expecting it. Even someone as dangerous as he was susceptible to being caught off guard and killed. It was simply a foregone conclusion.

The bell at the top of the door to his bar rang, and a silver haired boy who looked beat up stepped into the shop. Trailed by a woman in a red dress and a girl with green hair.

"Mercury, is it?" Brett greeted. "I am Brett, I trust that our mutual associate has been dealt with-" He cut himself off as blood bubbled up from his throat, he coughed and staggered backward, holding his slashed neck. The last thing he saw was Mercury Black transforming into Marcus Black, who had a bloody knife in his hand.

"Yeah, definitely." Marcus said as Brett died with shocked and fearful eyes. Then turned to the many other assassins in the bar with him. He flourished his knife and settled it in a reverse grip, ready for combat.

"All of them?" Cinder asked, prepared for any answer.

"Don't let any of them escape." Marcus replied angrily.

Cinder smiled.

It was a slaughter, Marcus was better than all of these assassins, even wounded as he was. Cinder looked to be a monster with the way she cut through them as well, even the green haired girl proved to be skilled as she took some of them down herself. All Marcus saw throughout the entire massacre was red, and when he stabbed his knife through the eye of the last remaining assassin, he sighed as if a weight was taken off of his shoulders.

Looking over his shoulder to Cinder and Emerald, he thought to himself that maybe this _really _wouldn't be that bad.

"So," Marcus said, smiling at them. "What's next?"

* * *

**And there we have it, a new story to replace An Unlikely Hero. I know the immediate question is going to be when this story gets to the Beacon stuff, and if I had to guess… chapter 5? 4? 6? One of those for sure. There is still a lot of history and stuff like that for me to write out, as well as some pre-Beacon stuff that changes according to Mercury being replaced by Marcus.**

**Now, for why I decided to do this. Isn't it a **_**little**_ **hard to believe that Marcus Black, a trained assassin who **_**must **_**have been pretty dangerous for Cinder herself to go and try to recruit him **_**personally**_ **would be killed by his son who didn't even have his semblance? I personally believe that he had to be caught off guard somehow, and even then it was a hard fight for Mercury to win, since we see in that one scene in I **_**think **_**Volume 3, that he was all bloodied up and bruised after the fight. So I kept thinking, **_**What If? **_**And so, this story was born as an idea. Another reason why I started this story is that I actually wrote Marcus Black in another one of my stories, as more of an experiment than anything, and while he was definitely more insane in that story I had fun writing him. So much so that I gave him my own story. Also, I tried something a little different. I started the beginning of this story in one of the last scenes this story will have, so that will leave some suspense for you all. How does it get to that point? How does Marcus end up in Beacon? Why is he hurt? And all that fun stuff. **

**All in all, I think this story is one that I put the most planning into for a brand new story. So I hope it all turns out well.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story, if you want to follow me on the progress of every chapter of every story, you can follow me on my twitter!**

**T witter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's another chapter of this brand new story. I have a question for those who have been reading this story for now. The 3 followers that this one has Lol, and any who have just joined up now. Since this is not really picking up a lot of popularity, I was thinking about either putting it on hold to focus on my other stories, or cancelling it entirely to start up a new story. More details on that other new story in the later AN. **

**So keep that in mind when you see these bold letterings next. For now, enjoy the story for what it is. If this does end up getting canceled, I will save the story and leave it here for now, then maybe delete it and restart it just so the start date isn't two years old Lol. **

**Beta: CrowSkull**

* * *

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Marcus yawned as he leaned back in his seat, and swung his feet up on the table he was sitting at. The green haired girl, whose name he has already forgotten, sat next to him. She kept staring at him with suspicion and a certain degree of jealousy. Marcus yawned again to show what he thought about that. It was very early in the morning at this time, so early in fact that it was still dark out. It must have been two or three in the morning, and they haven't even left the bar where his other fellow assassins have been hiding. Thankfully, they were all greenhorns for the most part. The best one in there wasn't nearly as good as he was, but he went after him first nonetheless. The guy now laid dead with a stab wound in the back of his neck and the middle of his back, even if he somehow managed to survive that, he would have never been able to walk again.

The woman in the red dress, Cinder, sat across from him. Ignoring the way he made himself at home by tilting the bottom of a bottle up toward the ceiling and downing the whole drink in a few seconds. He wiped his mouth with the back of one of his hands, and burped.

"Disgusting." The green haired girl commented.

"No one asked you, Grass." Marcus said with a smirk, already thinking of a decent enough nickname for the girl.

"What did you just call me?" Emerald asked, one of her red eyes twitching violently in irritation.

"Grass, 'cause, you know, the green hair and brown skin. You're literally walking dirt with grass where your hair should be." Marcus explained. Emerald didn't look any more happy. "If you want, you can call me Snow. 'Cause you know, the white hair."

"You-"

"Enough," Cinder butted in before Emerald could form any comebacks. The dark skinned girl clicked her mouth shut and bowed her head toward the woman, to which Marcus simply snickered and swung his legs off the table, sending the now empty bottle flying into the wall across the room. "There is no time for banter now, Marcus, do you understand what I have just told you?" She asked.

"You want to go and try to recruit the White Fang to help out with what we're doing in Vale." Marcus said, then sighed. "I'd suggest you don't bring me along for that, the White Fang don't exactly like me after I was hired to assassinate some of their officers."

"Noted," Cinder said. "In that time, you will be tracking down a woman for me. The death of this woman is paramount if we are to proceed on to Vale to officially begin our mission."

"Amber Fall," Marcus tested the name on his lips. Cinder explained to him who this woman was, the holder of some ancient power that only existed in four young women like herself around the world. It sounded like some far fetched fairy tale, something that he might have even told Mercury when he was a young infant. He doubted it, but the analogy was still the same. "She your sister or something? Or did you just choose that last name of yours because it sounded cool?"

"That is none of your concern." Cinder narrowed her eyes at him. "Your only concern as of this moment should be to track her down, and notify me as soon as you find her."

"And according to this little piece of paper you gave me earlier," Marcus scrounged about in his pocket, and flipped out a folded piece of paper and started to read it. "She travels by herself throughout the wilderness of the outskirts of Vale. You _do _know that the 'Outskirts of Vale' can literally mean the entire damn forest surrounding the damn city?"

"Correct." Cinder smiled smugly. "Of course I hardly expect you to find her right away, I expect it to take weeks, or even months. Sanus is a very large continent after all, and there is much searching to be made."

Marcus groaned his frustrations. It was going to be a real pain, he was already considering just ditching these two girls and run off to Vacuo or somewhere. Vacuo was a very difficult area to find a target, and all assassins in their right mind hated having to go after a target in that sandy desert kingdom. Miles and miles of sand as far as the eye can see, and it stretched further still. He would probably be able to hide out there for a few years, at least until he got old enough to the point where he couldn't put up much of a fight anymore.

"Also, there is one more thing I must do to confirm your borrowed loyalty until my task is complete." Cinder said, and extended a hand toward him. "Give me your hand."

Marcus narrowed his black eyes, suspicious. "Why?"

"Insurance." Cinder said, surprisingly honest. "Something my superior has suggested I use on you to insure that you will stay for as long as we need you."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound ominous at all." Marcus gritted. "Sorry if I say that I am a little reluctant in letting you-" He was cut off by a grunt of pain. Pain that lanced up his right arm and into his shoulder and upper back. He staggered and almost fell out of his chair when Cinder shot her hand forward to grab the back of his, something akin to a black mist steaming from his hand for a moment. He felt a burning sensation, like something was burrowing into his skin. He yanked his hand back and stood up.

"The fuck did you just do to me?" Marcus asked angrily. Instinctively drawing his knife.

Emerald was more than happy to draw hers against him in turn, and stood in front of Cinder as if she could protect her. "Say the word Cinder, and I'll put him down right now."

"No need for that, Emerald." Cinder said, standing up slowly and placing a hand on her shoulder. "We still have need of his services, that wouldn't do if he was forced to kill you." Emerald turned to look at her superior with shock at the lack of faith Cinder had in her, yet it was the truth. Marcus was the trained assassin who knew an uncountable amount of ways on how to kill a person. Emerald learned to fight from the streets, and whatever training she had from Cinder, it wouldn't be enough. She backed down wisely, and holstered her weapons behind her lower back.

"What did you do!?" Marcus screamed, looking over Emeralds head and toward Cinder. He glanced down to his right hand, and didn't see anything wrong with it. Nothing was externally damaged or injured in any way, but he felt like it should be. It felt like something was branded on him, yet there was no sign of any branding anywhere. The pain slowly subsided and gave way to some kind of warmth, a warmth albeit comfortable did not make him feel any better. "What is this?" He asked again, glancing up and down his arm while keeping an eye on the two women.

"A way to track you, in case you suddenly decide that you no longer wish to be a part of this mission." Cinder said, and crossed her arms. "I've been given the same, as was Emerald. My superior likes to keep her subordinates in line. One of her orders was to bestow the same boon onto you because of what your past dictates."

"Tch," Marcus waved his right arm around, but kept his knife clenched in his left hand. Some kind of tracker? He almost wanted to test it out, but thought better of it. This Cinder woman proved to be dangerous, and while he thought he might be able to take her down himself, there was always the chance that it would backfire immensely. Not to mention the green haired girl would most definitely help her out. He'd lose, even if he somehow managed to bring down one of them. "Could have said that instead of insurance, probably would have made me more willing." He said, sheathing his knife in a sheath on his hip. No more fighting for now, he was tired and still sore from his earlier battle with his son. If they wanted to make sure he wasn't about to ditch them halfway through this mission, then so be it. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go anyway, no more family and all his friends were most likely going to try and kill him the next time they saw him.

"I got a question though," Marcus said, relaxing his stance. In turn, Cinder and Emerald relaxed as well. "You keep saying your 'superior', who exactly is this superior of yours? Other than knowing that they are a she. I like to know who exactly I am going to be working with."

If his question was going to be answered, it was going to be answered with a truth mixed with lies. Cinder kept that smirk on her face as if she had not just burned some kind of tracker into his aura. "She is who is going to bring this pathetic world to heel. The one who grants wishes of those who deserves them, and the one person in this world whom I respect. She has a name, but for now you shall simply know her as _The Black Queen._"

Black Queen… that wasn't ominous at all. Marcus sighed internally, just what the hell did he just get himself into now? He refrained from making a joke about this Black Queen, but if that person could keep a woman as dangerous as the one who had just helped him kill trained assassins with ease, then she must be someone of great power and influence. He'd have liked to ask more about who that person was, but he knew that he wasn't trusted enough to know the entire story. He knew his role, he was the assassin, the one who was paid and pointed in the direction of their target. Just as he has been doing as far back as he could remember.

"Fine, then. About this Amber girl, you know the drill I hope." Marcus said, smirking. "I don't work for free, what am I going to be getting for killing her?"

"You will not be killing her." Cinder corrected him, her smirk disheartening. She was very serious suddenly, and didn't speak in that borderline seductive tone as she was before. "As I said before, you are only to track her down, let me know when you find her, and then follow her until Emerald and I find you. Only then will be take her down, together. Listen to me Black, the Fall Maiden is not someone you can simply _assassinate_. Her aura stronger than what you are used too, and her abilities far surpass even my own. If we want to have any hope of taking her down, we must all do it together. Do _not _try and kill her by yourself. It will only lead to your death."

It wasn't like he has heard that before, but you would be surprised at the amount of skilled Huntsman and Huntresses, even some of the best of their generation, could be killed in their sleep. It was the easiest way to assassinate a Hunter if he had too, no fighting, no chance of having to deal with any reinforcements, and getting away would be easy. No matter how much training one person may have, it counted for nothing when you were lying somewhere unconscious, where your aura is down and you are at your most vulnerable. Anyone with a knife could kill a Hunter, all they needed to do was stab them in the neck while they slept.

Whatever a 'Fall Maiden' was still bugged his curiosity more than it probably should have, was an anomaly. He couldn't say he has ever killed one of those before. But, he was being given specific instructions, and if he just had to track the bitch down and follow her for who knows how long then whatever, as long as he was getting paid.

"As for your reward," Cinder continued on as if she was reading his mind. "You shall get anything you desire, money, weapons, freedom." She started smirking again after that last word. "As long as you do what is expected of you, you will be rewarded with everything you will ever need for the rest of your days. Of that, I promise you."

"Promises don't mean shit to me, but…" Marcus smirked back. "I think that is a deal I can get behind. Alright, I am going to need some way to contact you when I find the soon to be dead woman. I'm sure you know that the outskirts of Vale hardly have a signal mostly anywhere."

"An associate of mine has seen fit to bypass that issue." Cinder said as she tossed him a scroll. Marcus caught it with one hand, and inspected it. It just looked like a normal scroll to him, but you didn't become an assassin without being able to look into things like these. It may look normal, but there was always something hidden about it that you could only find if you looked for it.

"I'm guessing this is going to bypass that whole no signal problem?" Marcus said as he opened the scroll, it was completely blank save for a few contacts, the only ones in there were _Fall_, which had to be Cinder, _Emerald_, which was Grass. And a third name he didn't recognize, simply named _Watts_.

"Watts is the one who created these scrolls. Don't bother trying to call that number, even if it worked I doubt he would pick up." Cinder explained, reading his mind. "When the target is found, you will inform me from there."

"Got it." Marcus said, closing the scroll and putting it away in his back pocket. He was almost certain that the scroll also had some kind of tracking device, it'd make sense, probably would make tracking him once he found the Maiden much easier so that they could set up an ambush ahead of time. He didn't like to be tracked, but it wasn't like he was going to get out of this anytime soon anyway. "Unless you still need me for something, I suppose this is goodbye for now. At least until I find this woman."

"Yes," Cinder nodded her head. "If anything should change, I shall contact you. Of course, if there is anything you feel that needs to be brought up to my attention, inform me as soon as possible."

"Got it _Boss._" He spat the term out like it was venomous. He did really hate having to play the role of a loyal lapdog, but this Cinder woman seemed to have a power fetish, and wanted to lord it over everyone else. It would make it easier for both of them if he just played along. "See ya next time Grass." He said as he made his way through the many bodies that still littered the floor of the bar. Marcus spared a glance toward the dead Brett, whose blood has dried up all over his chest and neck. His eyes were still open, a testament to the shock and fear he felt moments before he died. Marcus made sure to spit on his corpse before making his way to the exit. Stopping only when Cinder called out to him.

"Do make sure you are not caught, Marcus Black." Cinder said to him. "If you do, there will be consequences. In that case, maybe trying to fight the Maiden by yourself wouldn't be so bad of an idea."

Don't get caught or you die, was the rough translation of those words. Marcus humphed and stepped through the exit. It was still raining outside, and the village that this bar resided in was currently being overran by Grimm. Which explained all the noises he heard while he was having that conversation with Cinder. He was cautious of them as he made his way through the town, waiting for one of them to jump out and attack him. But true to one of the things Cinder said to him, none of the Grimm made to attack. Which proved her honesty at least on that front. He didn't know how this worked, only that this Black Queen was responsible for it.

He ignored all cries for help as he left the village, uncaring for the worthless people who were dumb enough to make a home out in the outskirts without knowing how to defend themselves from the Grimm. He kept walking and walking, through the forest before coming to a stop to look at what remained of his old home. Burned and collapsed. The corpse of his son was still lying there on the ground, face down in rain water with blood pooled around him.

Marcus didn't know what compelled him to dig a shallow grave for his son, he felt like he shouldn't have cared. The kid had tried to kill him in his last moments of life after all. Was it a late blooming affection for his offspring? Was it respect? Love? He laughed at them all, he wasn't capable of love. Not anymore. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

He even went so far as to make a cross out of the burned wood of his old home. Carving the letters. 'MB' into them for his sons name. Despite his earlier thoughts, he sighed and laid down one of his knives beside his son's graves. The knife that Mercury had almost killed him with.

"Goodbye Mercury, this is the last time I'm going to be here, which is probably something you wished for a lot." Marcus snickered. "I wonder what you would have done if you managed to kill me. You would have had your freedom, but what would you have done with it? You would have been lost, probably would have got strung along by that Cinder woman." He sighed. No more words came out of his mouth, he simply stood up from the grave, and walked away. Turning his back on his son's grave. No emotions came forth, he didn't feel anything. He didn't know what he expected to feel, but found himself disappointed.

Marcus pushed the thoughts of his murdered son to the back of his mind, and thought about the future. Another knife twirled in his other hand, the one he mainly used for his kills. A small weapon, but what made it dangerous was its size.

Amber Fall. The next target on his list.

* * *

_Cinder was an interesting person, someone I couldn't really get a bead on. But damn, did she expect a lot… _

Marcus scratched his itchy growing white beard and yawned. Going out into the outskirts of Vale searching for _one _woman with apparent magical powers was a lot easier said than done. Especially when the damn woman did _nothing _to get herself known. She just walked around, rode her horse, set up camp, ate, and slept. She looked to be enjoying herself though. Which only made Marcus even more irritated as he watched her sit beside her horse as it drank from the river.

"Tch." Weeks. _Over a month_, it took him to track the woman down. It would have helped if she didn't have such basic and common features. Brown hair. Brown skin. Brown eyes. There was nothing that made her stick out of a crowd, except for that green cloak of course. Then again, most people who traveled a lot wore a cloak or hood of some kind to protect themselves from the beaming sunlight.

He's been watching and following Amber for a few weeks already. Someone would probably have something to say about some guy following a young woman through the woods, but screw them. He already had a few chances to off her himself, once for every one of the amounts of times she slept in a small tent with the flaps open. It was like she was begging to be assassinated. He refrained from doing that however, whatever Cinder wanted from this girl involved her needing to be alive for her to take it herself and in person. He sent her the message long ago, with nothing else to do, and this Amber woman still sitting next to her drinking horse, he pulled up the conversation again.

His old message was still there.

_Black: Found the bitch finally, what's happening on your end?_

_Fall: Good job, Emerald and I are meeting with the Fang soon. I will let you know when we are on our way._

_Black: Please do, and soon. This girl does literally nothing but walk. It's boring._

He got no response after that, and got left on read for over a month and a half and going. He tried messaging Grass, the name he gave Emerald on his new scroll, and got nothing in response. Though, he supposed he should have expected that, since he opened up with "Hey Grass". She already hates him just for existing and being needed by Cinder, and now the nickname Grass was going to be another thing she hated him for. He thought it was clever, not that his opinion mattered.

Sighing after waiting for another message to no avail, he turned back to the Maiden, who was still enjoying the sight of running water going down the river. He wondered how long he could keep this up before he finally got caught. The woman was kind enough, from what he has noticed so far. From the rare moments that she actually stayed in a village, she was always helpful toward the inhabitants, and even went out to slay Grimm for them from time to time. She'd probably question him at first, and probably won't be able to deduce that he was an assassin sent to track her down and stalk her until it was time for her to be killed. He already had excuses that he could spit out if that situation came. He was also a wandering traveler, he was nervous and didn't know how to talk to her, he just happened to be walking in the same area as she was and more and more for each mood and level of suspicion she might have against him.

She stood up suddenly, which put Marcus on guard, he stood up slowly while perched up on the tree branch and watched what she was doing. She looked left and right, and then over her shoulder, making sure there was no one around her before facing the river again. Marcus knew what she was doing before she did it. He made sure he was unseen before getting a few feet closer to get a better look at what was about to happen.

Amber raised her hands up to above her hips, and the wind around her blew more harshly. Marcus instinctively clutched a tree branch and held on tight. The first time this happened, he was blown away and almost gave away his position. Watching curiously and attentively, Amber wind blew all around her sharply, but focused it into the river. Marcus watched with widened eyes as a burst of water was shot out of the river, and into a basket that the Maiden had prepared. The straw basket was now wet and full of fish, and so now she was going to be able to eat for many days.

He ducked down before he could get spotted, hiding his body behind a tree as he did so. That woman… really was incredible. He would not have believed that she would have any magical powers of any kind unless he saw it himself, and if there was one, three more didn't sound all that impossible. From what Cinder told him, there was one for each season; Fall, which was Amber, and then Winter, Spring, and Summer, who were all unknowns at the moment. He didn't know which was the strongest and which were the weakest, but he did know that they were far beyond his league. If he tried to kill this woman, and failed on his first try, he would have to pull out all the stocks to get away from her. Because he did not think he could kill a Maiden unless he caught them off guard, and only if they died from his first attack. He considered the possibility of being able to lock away her semblance and powers, but he didn't know if his semblance to steal other semblances extended that far. He might be able to lock away one ability, but all of the magic shit? Yeah, he'd rather wait for Cinder and Grass before he tested that one out.

Marcus groaned softly to himself and stood up on his tree branch when Amber started moving again after strapping and lidding the bucket onto her horse. She then mounted the horse and continued on whatever journey she put herself on. Keeping up with the horse wasn't bad all the time. But it really sucked when Grimm came around. He almost got caught once because a Beowolf snuck up on him while he was watching Amber to make sure she wouldn't get too far. He slashed its throat and had to hide when the Maiden came to investigate the noise. If she simply looked up right then and there, he would have been found. He still feels relieved that she didn't do that even to this day. Now however, Amber and her horse were at a relatively slow trot, and his job was about to become much harder.

He hated it when she traveled through fields.

There was a dirt path with a wooden fence on either side, but the grass surrounding them was hardly even at knee height. He had to crawl through the grass at incredible speeds, and sit still whenever she looked over her left shoulder. It was such a pain, but he was in this for the reward, not the experience.

Amber slowly came to a stop in the middle of the dirt road, and Marcus found himself afraid that he finally got caught when she hopped off of her horse and started walking. He sighed out of relief when he saw that she wasn't walking toward him, but to the side of the road to one of the wooden fence posts. Marcus raised an eyebrow when he peeked out from his hiding spot and saw that there was nothing she was walking toward. Not even damage in the fence that she might have fixed.

His scroll buzzed in his pocket, his hand snapped to it immediately.

_Fall: Now_

Gunshots sounded off, and Marcus cursed and jumped out of his cover. Grass was hiding behind the wooden post, and from what he knew she had some kind of illusionist semblance. The Maiden blocked it with her hand and reached behind her back to grab a staff like weapon with a red crystal on both ends of it. Before he could reach her, she twirled said staff and Emerald went flying across the dirt road.

Running with silent footsteps, Marcus jumped onto one of the fence posts and flipped forward through to air to give his axe kick even more power. The woman he had been stalking for so long turned around and caught it with one hand. Her eyes stared into his as he was suspended in the air.

"I was wondering why you were following me." She said to him with utter hatred. He only had enough time to widen his eyes as a burst of flames surrounded his body. His aura being the only thing saving him from getting burnt to a crisp.

Marcus twisted his body and foot along with it, and kicked at the Maidens grip. She let go and he fired the mechanisms at the end of his boots to push himself away from her. Thankfully, Emerald took the aggro again by taking shots at the Maidens back. But every bullet pinged off of her powerful aura and fell to the ground harmlessly. Amber turned around and waved a hand, Emerald following through with it and slamming through the fence post.

Marcus gritted his teeth and landed on his feet, immediately breaking into a sprint so violently that the ground broke up and shattered as he took off. Amber heard his loud footsteps and pointed her staff toward him. A plume of fire burst out of the tip of the crystal. Marcus jumped up and used his legs and arms to cover and protect his body from damage, his clothes burned away and it felt like his aura was melting off of his body, but his legs took no damage, no. Instead the clothes covering them burned off, revealing the now white hot bionic legs that lay underneath. The same legs that his father forced onto him, and the same type of legs he forced onto Mercury.

The assassin roared as he pushed through the flames all the way to the wide eyed Maiden, and kicked her across the face with his very real steel toe. Amber staggered back and clutched her face, stepping back again to avoid getting her throat slashed open by a knife. Marcus threw a barrage of kicks and knife attacks toward the Maiden, finding out exactly how good Amber was at fighting human opponents. But right now she was rocked, and he was warmed up thanks to her flames.

He kicked her in the belly, and as she keeled over he flipped over her back and slashed at her backside. He watched as his knife _shattered _against stronger aura, but hid his shock well as he instead kicked her away before she could blast him with whatever magical attack.

Emerald flew over his head and slammed both of her feet into the top of the Maidens head, stunning her before kicking off to give herself more distance between the two. Marcus took the opening and before Emerald landed, he switch kicked Amber in the chest, and then roundhouse kicked her as hard as he could, sending the Fall Maiden slamming into the ground, creating a crater upon impact. He felt Emerald latch onto his shoulders and used him to gain some air, and stomped down on the Maidens stomach to cause even more damage. She flipped back to his side straight after, and the two of them took a fighting stance beside each other.

"Good seeing you again Grass, where's Cindy?" Marcus asked as Amber got back up to her feet.

"Waiting for an opening." Emerald simply replied.

"Oh, great." Marcus rolled his eyes.

"You are not the first assassins sent to kill me." Amber slowly said as she stared at them, flames bursting out of her eyes. Marcus did not like the way this fight was going, especially when the Maiden started _floating up _into the sky. "And you will not be the last!"

A hurricane of wind and fire surrounded them all, Marcus and Emerald looked around desperately in hopes of finding some opening to escape through, only to find nothing. With no other option, Emerald and Marcus nodded to each other and silently agreed to give the Maiden everything they had. Emerald with her revolvers and Marcus with the mechanisms on his legs. He has had enough time to upgrade his legs to the point where a single projectile had enough impact force of a rocket propelled grenade. Seeing that projectile disperse harmlessly against the Maiden's aura showed him just how far out of his league Amber was.

Amber weaved her arms up into the air as if she was praising the sky, the clear blue sky gave way to dark grey and stormy clouds, crackling with yellow lightning. She then shot her hand toward Marcus and Emerald, sending a bolt toward them.

Emerald took the force head on, the attack simple too fast for her to keep up with. Marcus however, had the reflexes to jump up and take the lightning strike to his legs, and before he hit the ground, he kicked his leg forward. Sending the lightning right back at her.

Amber wasn't expecting her own attack to be used against her. She had to cross her arms in order to properly defend herself as the lighting struck her body, bypassing whatever external aura she had. She gritted her teeth as her muscles tensed up, and the lightning had nowhere the dispense through since she was up in the air.

"That's as good an opening as any!" Marcus exclaimed as he limped on one leg. Doing a lightning reversal was incredibly dangerous for him, if his luck was bad, his own leg would have exploded the moment he reversed the lightning. But it was either take it and have a chance of losing both legs, or reverse it and have a chance of only losing one. Thankfully, he lost neither, but it did damage his left leg considerably.

Amber looked around helplessly as she heard sprinting behind her. Out of desperation, she released a powerful wave of wind and hardened leaves of ice all around her. Marcus fell onto his back and used his arms and legs to protect himself, but Emerald had no such protection. Cursing, Marcus rolled over and pushed his back into her chest. Using his legs to protect both of them as they lay on the ground helplessly.

Cinder kicked up dirt as she skidded to a stop, the ice hardened leaves that stabbed in the ground all around her became her ammo. She merged them all together to form small spearheads of glass, and fired it right back toward the Maiden.

Amber took it all head on, and fell out of the sky as a result. When she landed, the lightning that was still coursing through her body finally had somewhere to leave through. Causing even more damage to her aura as she screamed in pain from the electrocution. Cinder aimed to use this opening to try and stab her in the chest, but Amber twisted her body and twirled in an acrobatic maneuver that sent Cinder flying through the fence.

Cinder rolled onto her feet and ran right back toward Amber before she could summon up the power to blast her away again. Marcus watched on as Cinder fought with skill he didn't know she had as she fought the maiden at an equal level. They fought so quickly as well. Amber using her staff in ways that seemed impossible, and Cinder dodging and countering the best that she could. However, in the end it was Amber who won the scuffle. Kicking Cinder in the stomach and hitting her several times with her staff in the blink of an eye before finally blowing her away with her magic.

Right after, she used her staff to prevent herself from falling forward. She was tired, Marcus saw immediately. Tired, and vulnerable.

Amber spun around and clashed her staff with Marcus' foot. He didn't even realize it, but he was bleeding from a cut across his cheek, and his scarred arms now had a black tint to them because of the maidens flame. He felt pain all over, but he kept fighting through it. The Maiden was tired and could hardly keep up with him, and after the third time she was kicked in the face, she stabbed her spear into the ground. Marcus was blown away by an explosion of fire, and he landed awkwardly on the side of the road, tasting blood in his mouth.

Emerald tried to follow up with his attacks, but she too was blown away by the fire. But another explosion, this one not magical, exploded all around Amber's body. Marcus actually saw as her aura was finally broken, and forced his tired body to stand back up on its robotic feet. He looked to his right and saw Cinder, bow in hand with a smirk on her face. He smirked as their chances of winning skyrocketed.

Cinder tried to close the distance with her swords to finish the Maiden off, but Amber was still able to use her magic. A fist of air almost knocked out Cinder, and blew her weapons out of her hands. Cinder saw stars as she pushed herself up to her hands on knees, dizzy and unable to see straight.

Amber stood back up shakily, and looked around. Marcus was down on his face, Emerald was still recovering from the fire attack, and Cinder was barely able to push herself back up to her feet. Seeing her as the most dangerous one, she started making her way toward her.

When she got just two feet away from Cinder, she looked down at her with anger in her eyes. Flames reappeared as Cinder looked up at her, unafraid. Amber raised her spear, preparing to stab it through Cinders head.

A knife was thrown into her back, making her cough of blood and drop the spear, falling forward onto her hands and knees. Cinder stared wide eyed and looked around to see who had just saved her, only to see Marcus back on one knee with his hand still reeling back after throwing the knife. He smirked at her, and she smirked back. She would have to reward him later for potentially saving her life.

Marcus tore the knife out of Amber's back in a spray of blood and a pained scream. Emerald recovered, and took her other arm as they held her still.

Just in case, Marcus used her semblance on Amber as well. Stealing and locking away whatever semblance she may have had to get herself out of this after placing the palm of his hand on her shoulder.

Cinder reached a hand into a pocket of her dress as she stood in front of the defeated Fall Maiden, and slipped on a white glove with a strange red symbol on the back of it. Marcus strengthened his grip as Amber panicked and tried to force her way out.

"N-no, please don't!" She begged fearfully. Which only made Cinder smile even wider.

Marcus felt sick to his stomach as some sort of Grimm beetle pushed out of the palm of Cinders hand. He didn't know if the Grimm actually came out of her hand or not, but the thought of it was still disgusting. Amber screamed in pain and writhed as the beetle spit some kind of black goo on her face, connected to Cinders hand. He felt Amber grow weaker and weaker as the black goo glowed a pale orange color. The flames in Amber's eyes faded away, and appeared again on Cinders face.

Instincts told him to dodge, and he listened to them. Potentially saving him from getting his hands chopped off as a thick silvery sword slashed through the black goo that was feeding Cinder power. The Grimm beetle died, and the nearly dead Fall Maiden was carried away in the arms of someone Marcus hasn't seen for a long time.

"Qrow fucking Branwen." Marcus smiled. "Long time no see bud!"

Qrow narrowed his eyes at him, and if he was going to say anything he was cut off by a fiery explosion that was just delayed enough to give him enough time to dodge. Marcus was about to go after him, but Cinder caught his shoulder, stopping him.

"Let him get away," Cinder told him, and Marcus felt himself compelled to obey. "Did you block out our faces?" She asked, looking to Emerald.

"Yes, but I wasn't able to block out Marcus', only yours and mine." Emerald said, then bowed her head. "I am sorry."

"Hm. No matter." Cinder smiled, and allowed her new powers to flare up all around her. "This power is… overwhelming!" She said ecstatically. "I've never felt something so fulfilling… yet empty, at the same time. I feel… _hungry_… I like it."

"Bet you do," Marcus said, sighing as he sat down on the ground. Exhausted.

"You," Cinder looked to him, still smiling. "May have saved my life a few moments ago." She kneeled down and placed a hand on his cheek, it felt hot to the touch. Marcus backed away. Cinder chuckled. "I will have to reward you for that soon enough."

"Can't wait…" Marcus replied.

"What is the next step?" Emerald asked, kneeling down in front of Cinder.

"Now, my sweet Emerald. We go back to Adam Taurus, and _make _him join us." She looked back to Marcus. "Marcus, hun, you will be coming with us this time. It no longer matters if you are recognized by the White Fang."

Marcus nodded his head. If Cinder has even half of the powers of the previous Fall Maiden, then he didn't know _who _could say no to her anymore. "So, what's after the Fang then?" He asked next, curious.

"Vale." Cinder answered, her eyes flaming once more. "You have proven to be reliable Marcus Black, so I will soon explain to you our plans in full."

Marcus nodded his head, satisfied with everything that has happened so far. He was on Cinder's good side now, which was somewhere he aimed to stay. Emerald looked jealous as all hell, but also thankful somehow. He did save Cinder at the end there after all, Cinder owed him her life, even though it was never going to be said like that.

He looked up to the clearing sky and sighed, part one of this mission was over. He couldn't help but wonder what would be next after meeting up with this Adam Taurus guy.

* * *

**And there we go, the end of the second chapter of this story.**

**Now here is where things get interesting. I want you guys to tell me if this is a story worth continuing. Nothing much as changed now, but a lot will once we get to the Vale and Beacon part of this story. I have another story idea that I am absolutely in love with at the moment, which is another comedy based story with the main difference being a complete role reversal of like **_**every character **_**in the story. **

**The idea is basically like this: Ruby is the big sister instead of Yang, who is now the excitable little sister with pigtails. Ren swaps personalities with Nora. Jaune is swapped with Pyrrha, so now he is the famous prodigy while Pyrrha sneaks her way into Beacon. Salem has Ozpin's role, and hers his. Etc, etc. It's a really fun idea that I was inspired by because of a fanart comic string of panels. If you want to see the fanart for yourself, simply type in RWBY Role Reversal in Google or something, and you should be able to find it easily. I'll ask the original creator if I could use it for the cover art. **

**Let me all what you all think. I could either put this story on hold or cancel to go on and write that story and focus on my other ones, or I can keep the Role Reversal story has a future story for when I finish another one. It all depends on what you guys say, honestly. So please do share your thoughts.**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, we're back with chapter 3 of this story. I was contemplating on whether or not to continue it, or go for that role reversal story, but man, I just can't do that to myself. I have this motto that my dad taught me, "Finish what you started, no exceptions." And that kept repeating itself to me over and over again in my head. So I will continue this story, and if all goes well, HOPEFULLY, this story will be around 30 chapters long. Again, HOPEFULLY. If you've read any of my other stories, you would know that any plan I make most likely is going to be extended by like ten chapters or so. Sometimes by accident.**

* * *

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_I had my world turned upside down, and after that it was just a roller coaster..._

Adam Taurus groaned in frustration as he rested his hands down on his planning table. His lieutenant was by his side, just as angry as he was but much more willing to show it. They have all just come back from a botched mission thanks to the abandonment by Blake Belladonna. A well respected and high ranking White Fang officer that was the right hand of Adam himself. She just up and _left _him after saying goodbye to her only explanation.

"I swear to you sir, I will _personally _make sure Belladonna regrets her decision to leave us. I have word that she was heading toward-"

"Forget it," Adam growled. "I will not waste resources to chase a traitor to our cause. If she ran now, it means that she has been thinking about it for some time." He shook his head, barely restrained anger being obvious with each movement he took.

"If that is what you wish. But if I may, what if she uses the information she has on us, and by extension _you, _to her advantage?" His lieutenant, Banesaw, asked him.

Adam placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "When the time comes, the time comes." He said cryptically. "Now however, I will not be hearing any more about Blake. Sienna trusted me with control of the Vale division of the White Fang, I am not keen to disappoint the supreme leader."

"Of course," Banesaw bowed his head respectfully. "What is next for us then?"

Adam looked to Banesaw through his mask. "Gather the troops, we shall hold a meeting and-"

A blood chilling scream cut Adam off, and his hand was placed on the hilt of his sword once more. Instead this time, he drew it enough so that the red blade was peeking out of the sheathe. One look to his lieutenant and he prepared himself for combat as well. After a mental countdown, both of the faunus commanders burst out of their tent to face this new foe.

What they were met with was chaos.

Almost all of their men were dead, knocked out, or dying painfully. Their camp was set aflame, and the human with the red dress stood before him once more yet again. However, this time she was much more confident in her abilities, as the flames dancing around her arms and body suggested anything. Adam growled and prepared to attack her right then and there, but from behind the orange eyed woman, a man walked out. A man with white hair, a bloody knife, and black eyes. Staring blankly at him. Then another one, the same dark skinned girl from before walked out from the other side of the woman's body. Kneeling down a few paces in front of the human in the red dress and placing two briefcases down on the ground.

It wasn't them that he was concerned with. "Marcus Black," Adam hissed, drawing his sword and pointing it towards the man with the white hair. "Assassin, you tried to kill me once."

"Only because you got in the way of my actual target." Marcus smirked at him. "Trust me, _trying _to kill someone isn't something I usually do. It would make me a pretty bad assassin after all. But then again, didn't _you _hire me to kill a Schnee or two once or twice?" He mocked. He remembered that particular contract, it was what made him the most wanted man in Atlas as well after he made sure a Schnee politician and a sibling of Willow Schnee didn't speak out against the White Fang anymore. Since he had no faunus traits and the white hair, all he had to do was put on a fancy suit and walk straight into the manor. He didn't even get stopped by security, it was ridiculous. He still gets a laugh when thinking about that even to this day.

"Silence! If I had known just how untrustworthy you were, I would have never made that contract with you." Adam pointed his sword toward the other man, but turned his head to face the woman. "Human, I do not know how you were able to secure a contract with a man such as he, but explicitly remember that I told you once to never come back here, why have you returned and caused such chaos to my camp?"

Cinder smiled. "I have returned to claim what is mine, Taurus." She said that one of her eyes bursting into flames. Before Adam could respond, Cinder raised a hand and created an entire ring of flame around them all, encircling them completely. Adam and Banesaw grit their teeth and prepared to fight, but were now much more cautious of this woman's power. It was unlike anything they have ever seen before.

"Where did this power come from!?" Banesaw asked the obvious. "You did not have this strength before."

"I did not." Cinder admitted honestly. "But now I do, and that is all that you need to know. Now, _I _have a proposition for you Adam Taurus." She looked down to Emerald, giving her some kind of signal. Emerald nodded back and opened both of the briefcases, which were both filled with pristine dust crystals of almost all elements and Lien respectively. It was enough to supply dozens of men, and buy them more equipment as well. Adam looked at it, and knew what was coming before she even said it.

"When I came here the first time asking for your assistance, you turned me away. What was it you said? Emerald, you remember."

"He said; "I will not sacrifice my men for your cause, a human cause." Mam." Emerald added a smug look toward the masked man, who scowled at her in response.

"Isn't your whole organization this attempt to win equality between faunus and us humans?" Marcus asked lazily, crossing his arms together after flicking a booger out of his nose. "Because if so, the whole terrorist route is a _killer _plan."

"Now now darling," Cinder suppressed a chuckle, but did not refrain from growing a grin that spread across her face. "We shan't provoke the man now, not when we already have what we want."

"And how are you so sure of that?" Adam adjusted his aim so that the tip of his sword was aimed toward Cinder. "You weren't confident you could defeat me before, why do you think that's changed now?"

A fireball burning into his sword hand was his response. Banesaw cried out and made to attack the woman, but before he could get any closer after taking three steps Marcus intercepted him and disarmed him in a flash. Before Adam knew it, he was disarmed and his most trusted right hand was defeated in a matter of seconds. Marcus knelt over the faunus and threatened to slash his neck with his already bloody knife. The question as to if he'd really do it wasn't much of a question at all, more of a when he would get permission to do so.

"Make your choice Adam." Cinder continued, placing both of her hands behind her back as if she did not just nearly destroyed his hand just now.

Adam scowled. Even through his aura, his hand felt like it was broken. His sword was somewhere beyond the flames, and while he was confident in his hand to hand combat skills, he wasn't confident enough in them to defeat Marcus Black, Cinder, and the green haired girl all at the same time. Looking around, he could see his men, terrified out of their skins and some even hiding away from these three people. Just two young women and an assassin, and his whole White Fang camp was defeated. The choice was difficult and made with hatred, but it was the only one he had on hand.

"The White Fang is yours." He growled out. Cinder's smile grew. "The Vale division, at least."

"That is _very _good to hear." Cinder said as she started walking toward him. As she walked by she gestured for Marcus to get off of his lieutenant. Who holstered his knife and placed his bare hand against the officers face. A white glow flared for a moment before Marcus stood back up, clapping his hands together as if getting rid of dust before making his way back to the green haired girl. Before he could wonder why Banesaw started screaming about not being able to use his semblance anymore, Cinder gripped his face by the chin, making him look down at her. "I will keep in touch Taurus, in the briefcase is my contact details. Ready your troops, and started heading to Vale as soon as possible."

Adam didn't respond. He didn't want to tell the powerful woman that most of the White Fang in his control were _already _in Vale. He didn't want to see her satisfied smile get even more smug.

"And while you're at it, do remember. If you ever think about refusing me again, if I am not able to punish you for it, I will send someone who _can_." The threat was clear. A woman with Marcus Black under her employ was not a woman to be trifled with.

Adam nodded his head. Sighing through his nose because of this utter defeat.

"Good," Cinder said, sensing his submissiveness and turning her back on him. The ring of fire around them disappeared as she walked back to her two underlings. Leaving Adam and his forces to grovel in their loss and the fact that they are now going to be forced to work with her.

"So, off to Vale now?" Marcus asked as he followed up behind her, hands behind his head and Emerald taking pace at his side.

"Correct," Cinder said, chuckling softly.

"In a good mood?"

"Also correct." Cinder admitted. "How can I not? I have part of the powers of the Fall Maiden, and now I have the White Fang itself under my control." She shivered in her pleasure for a moment. "This power… is intoxicating, and yet I find myself yearning for more."

"Well, if all goes well, you'll become full Fall Maiden if this Beacon visit goes well." Marcus said, chuckling lightly as well. It's been quite a few months for the forty year old assassin. Firstly, he was betrayed by his fellow assassins and was forced to kill his own son because of it. Secondly, he was recruited by a rather mysterious yet rewarding woman, then killed the assassins that betrayed him in the first place. Then thirdly, he tracked down a magical woman, ambushed her, and almost killed her. And last but not least, he just overthrew the White Fang and put said mysterious woman in an even greater position of power. Even as old as he was, he still had it in him.

"Quite." Cinder nodded her head. They all stopped at the edge of the camp, and looked back at the carnage that they had caused. Because she willed it, the flames no longer burned and were no longer destroying the camp. But that didn't make it appear any less chaotic than it was when it was on fire.

"Grimm," Emerald hissed, drawing her weapons on a few passing Beowolves. "They must have been attracted to the fighting."

"Damn, and here I thought I was going to get to clean my knife just now." Marcus said as he switched the grip on his knife to a reverse grip.

"Marcus, Emerald, cease." Cinder said, placing a hand on both of their shoulders as she spoke. "The Grimm will no longer be a threat to us, I promise you."

"What?" Marcus asked, confused and a little concerned for Cinder's sanity suddenly. "Mythical magic powers or not, Grimm are Grimm. They _live _just to kill us all."

"Hmph," To his utter surprise, as well as Emeralds. Cinder casually walked up to a Grimm Beowolf which was charging at them a few seconds earlier, and watched as the Grimm slowed to a stop and allowed the woman to pet it. It didn't make any sounds, and when the rest of its pack trolled on by, they didn't even heed any mind to Marcus or Emerald as they did so.

Marcus didn't know what to think as Grimm literally just walked past him, sniffed him once or twice, before forgetting about him all together and ran toward the White Fang. Sounds of fighting could be heard, but that was the least of his concerns. He looked back to Cinder, and didn't know what to say.

Emerald knelt before her, but he remained standing.

"What is this?" Marcus blurted out, an unknown fear welling up inside his body.

"This," Cinder gestured all around her, to the Grimm that simply walked past her, that flaming eye of hers, and even to them two. Emerald and Marcus. "Is power. The power of _my _superior. The very being who will bring salvation to the world this generation."

She explicitly looked to him as she said this. Emerald seemed to already know who this _being _was, but not him. He didn't know anything, and the power to control the Grimm was something unheard of to him. But if it's true that there's four powerful women like the one they took down a few days ago, then it wasn't _too _hard for him to believe that there was some kind of leader for the Grimm. It was all shocking for him to behold, and for once, he was the one who found himself in an existential crisis.

"I believe I said I would let you in on the know of all what is required of you." Cinder's smile softened slightly, her eyes never leaving his as she stepped closer to him. "The first thing you should know is that there is a Queen of Grimm, and her name is Salem…"

* * *

A few months had passed since Marcus learned that the world of Remnant was much bigger and deeper than he had originally thought. He knew that Ozpin was a pretty fishy person already, but this? No way in a million years would he have been able to figure this out on his own. Even now it was taking time for him to fully process it. When Cinder told him about the Queen of the Grimm, Salem. Some dark powered human with the powers of the God of Darkness, Marcus somehow fooled himself into believing it himself. It might have been because of his mental vulnerability after being forced to kill his own son, and because of the revelation of the truth of the Seasonal Maidens. He would be the only one to know for sure, but after learning all of that he suddenly realized just how big the stakes of this mission were. He wasn't so stupid as to believe that in the long run this will all end with him getting his pay and living the rest of his life however he wanted to, not truly anyway. If anything, he was going to _have _to make sure this mission succeeded. It was still in the planning and preparation phase, but in about a month or so when the breach finally happens, he would be able to get away from all this if it went well.

Sighing to himself in the mirror, he washed his face and scratched at his beard before exiting the bathroom. They just got to Vale a few weeks ago and he was already given another task. It turned out Roman Torchwick himself was also under Cinder's control, whenever that happened, Marcus didn't know. But his task was to make sure everything they were doing were going as planned. Grass was with him as well, having the same task as he or maybe just to keep an eye on _him _in turn while Cinder went off to go apprehend a Bullhead for a dust robbery as an escape vehicle. They must have been robbing the home of Jacques Schnee himself if they needed a _Bullhead _to escape with, but he thought against the idea of outwardly questioning Cinder. The one with the fire powers who could burn him to a crisp if he gets too brave.

"_Are you done yet?" _Grass asked him from outside the bathroom. Amusing for him and annoying for her, she had to make sure they stuck together almost at all times. "_Hurry up, we have to meet up with Cinder today, and you are not going to make us late."_

"Pfft." Marcus held back laughter as he opened the door, leaning on the frame and looking at Emerald with a smug smirk on his face. He really did love messing with this girl, she had the best reactions and sometimes he didn't even have to say anything to mess with her. "I'm sure Cinder isn't going to be too pissed off because we're a few seconds late Grass."

Emerald scowled at him. "It's Emerald, get it right for once old man."

"Nope," Marcus shook his head. "As long as it gets those reactions out of you, your name is going to be Grass, Grass."

"Ugh." Emerald stepped off the wall and took the lead. "For an old man you can be pretty damn immature."

"Yeah? Well this old man can kill you if he wanted to, pretty easily at that. So maybe you should respect your elders some more. Or at least stop staring at them like you wanted to make love to them."

Emerald sneered at him and nearly drew her weapons. New weapons this time, still guns as she used before, but this time with blades attached to them. It could also shift into some kind of cleaver type weapon, and make it longer. Just like her hair did between the time they had a little chat with Adam Taurus and to where they are now. In these few months, one would think that two people forced to be around each other for so long would eventually just try and get along to make the experience even slightly more enjoyable, but when it came to Grass?

"I will _never _have those kinds of thoughts for a disgusting man like you!"

She was just so damn adamant to _not _get along with him.

"I never said with me dumb ass," Marcus said as he walked past her, flicking her forehead in the process. He didn't even need to say who he meant, because Emerald's face went red and she went on to deny the implications. It was just too easy, it was almost boring for Marcus to even try to embarrass the girl. She just did it to herself even at the best of times. "Will you quiet down already?" He cut her off after a few minutes of being forced to hear her voice. "I couldn't give less of a shit from a rat who you fancy and who you don't. You want to go see Cindy so badly? Let's go see her, c'mon."

His colder tone shut Emerald up, though she was still seething underneath. She hated him, and she annoyed him, but she knew when to keep her mouth shut. Which was her only redeeming quality. There was nothing else. The bitch was obsessed with Cinder and would take any opportunity to praise her.

"Trouble in paradise?" Roman asked him with an amused snicker as he stomped past him, and that mute girl that's always hanging around him. He knew her, and she knew him, and neither were completely content in being around each other. Assassins code and all that. "The big bad assassin getting annoyed by a, what, an eighteen year old girl?"

"Can it Roman, or Cinder's going to need a new '_mastermind criminal' _to work for her." Marcus threatened. Of all the people that tried to annoy him, Roman was always able to actually pull it off. He knew just what buttons he needed to press. They used to be teammates after all.

"Oh c'mon Mark, you know I am just messing around!" Roman laughed loudly. "Man, when I heard that my old leader got caught up with-"

A knife was thrown right toward Roman's head. Aura would have saved him, but the criminal in the bowler hat was not exactly keen on getting the point of a knife bounced off his face. Roman staggered to the side clumsily after dodging the blade, but his hat did not come with him. It was stuck to the wall by the rim. Before Roman could tell him off about it, the ice cream themed girl Neo took the knife out of the wall and threw it right back at Marcus, aiming for one of his black eyes. The assassin caught it by the handle, and sheathed it, his eyes never once leaving from the other assassins multi-colored eyes.

Neo stood off against Marcus Black, and Roman did not want to know what the outcome would be if the two of them fought. Neo was very dangerous, but from what he's heard, Marcus has killed even more than she has, and has never failed a mission before. Neo _might _win against, but only might, and only if it took everything she had. "Nice aim Neo, next time give it your A-game though." Marcus quipped, then stared _death _into Roman's face. "Next time you bring up that life, I won't aim for the hat. Got it?"

"Geez… can't you take a joke?" Roman asked as he picked his hat up from the ground. "None of you ever know how to take a joke," He added as he gestured to all of the members of the White Fang working around them. "I say anything that might be mildly amusing, and I nearly get killed for it! First with the red haired guy, second with Cinder, and third and fourth with you two assholes! I can never catch a break."

"Your tongue is going to get you killed one day Torchwick." Emerald said, for once agreeing with Marcus about something.

"Hah, fancy that. That's exactly what he used to say to me back then, and look where we are now. We're all criminals, and we're all still alive."

"Tch." Marcus refrained from throwing the knife back at him again, but with Neo in between them, he didn't feel like having to fight her off just yet. The girl was small but damn was she fast and flexible. It would be such an annoying fight to take. Her eyes narrowed into his, a silent threat being sent with her gaze. Marcus stared right back, unafraid, but unwilling to start anything. "Just get Juniors men ready and let's get this shit over with."

"Read my mind Mark," Roman tipped his hat toward him. "You heard him folks! Kick it into high gear and be ready for another shipment of dust, Mister Torchwick is going to go for another walk!"

"You used to be teammates with him?" Emerald asked after they left the supposedly abandoned warehouse. "That means you went to Beacon-"

"Stop right there." Marcus suddenly stopped, and got in close to Emerald. Her back was pressed against the wall before she knew it, and any words she might have said died in her mouth. "There's a lot of shit I am willing to let you spit out, but _that_…" He shut his eyes and shook his head. "Is not something I am willing to let you talk about." He pushed off of her and stuffed his hands in his pockets. It was night time and his arms were a little chilly. It was one of the downsides of wearing a tight sleeveless red shirt and gloves with exposed palms for upper body wear.

Emerald stayed quiet after that, which was something they were both grateful for. Even then, after seeing Torchwick again, and be forced to hang around him for this long and for so many weeks has brought upon memories that he had suppressed to as far back of his mind as he could possibly push them. Yes, he once went to Beacon, that was what he meant when he told Cinder that he used to live in Vale before, and thus knew the area. He was surprised to see that Cinder never asked him how he knew Qrow Branwen, she probably already knew, but until she asked he wasn't going to tell her. Yes, he used to train at Beacon. Stayed there for the whole four years and even became the leader of a team. Something that surprised him since the Black surname should have been something Ozpin should have been wary off, but he let him in anyway. He knew Qrow from Beacon, and the rest of his team for that matter. Roman Torchwick was part of the team that _he _leads. Fat lot that decision cost him, now they were the only two left, and were now Huntsman trained criminals.

They didn't exactly part on good terms, but not on bad terms either. They were both angry at one point and simply drifted apart because of mutual lost and grief. Pushing such memories to the back of his mind once again, Marcus started paying more attention to what was around him once again. He was supposed to be back up just in case the robbery tonight went wrong. As he thought, Roman should be rounding up his men right now. As ordered from Cinder, he and Emerald are to not intervene unless absolutely necessary. Ozpin may know that Amber has fallen and someone has taken her powers, and that she had Marcus Black to support her, but he didn't need to know that they were _both _back in Vale right under their noses. He could understand that, and he was simply supposed to sit and wait in the Bullhead with Emerald until they were possibly needed.

"This way," Emerald spoke up again, and pulled him into a wide open alley. He let her pull him along for a few feet before letting go of his wrist and taking the lead. It really was a very wide alley, maybe the city was going to build something here eventually, but right now hidden in the darkness between two more buildings was a dark grey Bullhead, with the hatch on the side open, and Cinder waiting for them with crossed arms and that same smug smile she has taken to having on her face almost all the time.

"Darling," Cinder greeted him, she has also taken to calling him by that pet name, although they were by no means involved with each other romantically. It was a sign that he was still on her good side however. Has been since he saved her life from that maiden a while back. "Emerald, you've arrived just on time."

They were a few minutes late or so, but that didn't seem to matter in the long run. "Roman hasn't started yet?" Marcus asked as he stepped into the Bullhead, and took a seat on one of the seats. Emerald doing to same to his side. Cinder sat across from them in the cockpit, but she spun the chair around so that she could look at them. That damn smirk never leaving her face the whole time.

"He has not, but he will be very soon." Cinder informed them. "As we speak, he should be walking toward the dust store."

"This some really popular joint? Has to be if we're stealing from it."

"Don't question her!" Emerald hissed at him.

Cinder raised a hand, and just like that, Emerald clicked her mouth shut. Such control, it almost made Marcus sick thinking about what kind of sick idol she had turned Cinder into for her.

"It is. _From Dust 'til Dawn_ is currently the most popular dust selling establishment with the highest quality, and a lot of it. There is a small amount of security to be bypassed, but Roman has already seen to that with that little pet of his."

Marcus snorted. "You mean Neo? You know she used to be an assassin too, just like me."

"As I am aware, though she could hardly be considered a threat so long as we hold Roman on our side." Cinder said. "Do you two have history? If so, do tell, it isn't like we have anything else to do until Roman and his fools give the signal."

"Hm," She was right about that much. Marcus wracked his mind about everything he knew about the mute, and then thought about what exactly to say about her. He knew the underlying reason for Cinder asking this question, she wanted to know if Neo was going to be a threat. Honestly, he doesn't really know himself. All he knows is what he has learned from her on the one mission they did go out on, and one drink they shared. "First off, as long as I've known her, she's always been mute. I _think _she can talk, but just refuses too. Something about her old master teaching her to never use her voice to communicate, and it just kinda stuck."

"Interesting…" The face Cinder had when she said that suggested she felt anything but.

"In terms of how good she is… she's pretty dangerous, would definitely give me a pretty rough run for my money if we had to come to blows. Might even be able to beat me. She won't be an enemy unless we do anything to Roman though, she'll stay loyal for now."

"I see." This time, Cinder smiled as she spoke. Seemingly satisfied with what she's been told. "If the time comes for her to be taken care of, I'll make sure you are the one to do it. It almost sounds poetic for me, once old allies fighting to the death."

Marcus chuckled dryly and bitterly. But did not deny her. He knew what that was like already, and refused to make it show like he did. Luckily, Cinder's scroll dinged, and without even looking at it she knew what it meant.

"It seems that Roman has started," The pilot seat automatically turned around so that she faced the controls, and the Bullhead shortly began to heat up as it turned on. Marcus strapped himself in, and Emerald did the same beside him. "Be ready for any possibility."

Marcus sat back, and shut his eyes. Just _waiting _for something to go wrong.

* * *

Something went wrong.

He knew it before he was told because of the sound of broken glass and gunfire. Roman also shot a text to Cinder right as it happened. Apparently, they chose the wrong dust store to rob in the middle of the night, since a young Huntress in training was currently beating up all of his men. Marcus held onto the railing and reached into his left holster for his gun. He hasn't used one in a while, but his knife wasn't always going to be useful at ranged except if he threw it, and he'd only of one shot on top of that and most of the time the ones he was fighting would be fast enough to deflect it out of the air. So he got himself a weapon, modified it, and is now in possession of a glorified MK V Atlesian Black Hand-cannon that he may or may not have stolen from a visiting Atlesian officer. After making sure it was loaded, he unclasped the straps around his body and stood up in front of the opening hatch of the Bullhead, right next to Emerald.

He saw Roman right away as they hovered up into the sky, and leaned out to catch him by the hand to pull him into the aircraft. The green eyed man then pulled out a dust crystal, waggling his eyebrows as Marcus narrowed his at him. "Just like old times buddy, say it!"

"Argh," Marcus groaned, but didn't argue. Especially since the black and red haired Huntress was taking aim with that big ass sniper rifle of hers. He didn't want any of that. "Pull!"

Roman laughed as he threw the red dust crystal, and after taking in a deep breath the world seemed to move in slow motion. The dust crystal flying through the air toward the now confused Huntress. Marcus narrowed his eyes and took aim, but not before taking a second glance toward the face down there on the rooftop. His eyes widened slightly and his lips curled up at the sides as he recognized some of the girls features. She was a Rose, that was for sure. He's only ever seen eyes like that in one other person a long time ago.

His finger squeezed in on the trigger, a moment too early.

The dust crystal exploded in front of the girl, too far to actually severely injure her but too close to not blast her away. Whether he did that on purpose or not, even though he didn't know. But as the smoke dispersed with the wind he saw a woman he _knew _he did not know, and she did not look happy to see him.

"We got a Huntress!" Roman exclaimed to Cinder, and ran over to her to take over the controls.

Emerald went to go take aim at the woman, but Marcus pushed her back. When she scowled at him he was quick to explain. "They don't know you exist yet, don't show yourself now." He said, and Emerald was forced to acknowledge his words as fact and strap herself in once again.

"Criminals!" The blonde Huntress aimed at them with that black riding crop of hers. She pushed up her glasses further up her nose, and wisps of purple energy started forming around her. "Surrender now, or I will take down your Bullhead!"

"Yeah, not exactly keen on either of those!" Marcus called back, not showing his face by hiding it in shadow. "How about you leave, and we can call this one a draw. Eh?"

He leaned to the side to dodge one of the blasts of purple energy, and nearly fell out of the Bullhead because of the way the thing shook when she fired the rest of them all at once. Marcus cursed and held on to the vertical railing beside the hatch with his left hand, and took aim with his hand cannon with his right. The woman's eyes went wide as she raised he riding crop to block the powerful yet silent bullet from hitting her right between the eyes, and then caught the rest of them with her semblance. Marcus took cover as his own bullets were sent right back at him, and glowered over to Roman who was still trying to convince Cinder to help them.

"Cindy we kind need you here! All I got are Bullets and she's got a semblance!" Marcus called out to her as he took aim once more, only to grunt as a sniper bullet pinged off the armour he had around his collarbone, forcing him to take cover again. "And now the little red one is shooting at me again!"

"Hah! Little Red, I like it!" Roman replied to him. "But seriously, now would be a _really good time _to use those fire powers of yours!"

"Fine!" Cinder exclaimed and let go of the controls. The Bullhead dipped slightly as she ran to the back of the Bullhead, but Roman dove and caught them before disaster could strike. Taking control of the Bullhead as Cinder stood in the opening of the ship and extended her hand out toward the Huntresses.

Marcus didn't see it, but he heard the sickening sound of her powers being used, and the explosion that quickly followed. He peeked out to see the carnage that was unfolding, and surprisingly the blonde Huntress was still dishing out as much damage as Cinder was. Which could only mean that Cinder wasn't going all out just yet. After hiding and hoping that none of their attacks hit him, he was relieved to hear an actual grunt of effort from Cinder as she pushed back a powerful attack, and knocked both the Huntress and the trainee down. The hatch closed, and Roman was quick to put the ship into full speed in order to get away from the authorities that were most certainly on their way.

"So," Marcus looked into the back of Roman's head as Cinder walked back to take the second pilot seat beside the master criminal. "Got beat up by a little girl did you?"

"Not me," Roman groaned. "Juniors men were weak and without aura, they didn't stand a chance. Should have known better than to go to _him _for muscle. Surprised he hasn't been taken out already."

"Hmph." Marcus snorted and rolled his eyes. Roman is still the same man he's always been. Annoying as shit.

"Inconvenient timing." Cinder commented, and like that the entire Bullhead was quiet. "It is not a problem however, we hardly need every ounce of dust in the city. Only what we need."

Marcus heard Roman say "Thank God," under his breath, but didn't call him out on it. Cinder was right next to him, so there was no way she didn't hear that.

"As for you two," she continued, Marcus found himself at attention once Emerald elbowed him in the side. "I applaud you for not showing yourself Emerald, even if Marcus was the one who had to tell you that."

"Thank you mam." Emerald preened.

"Do I get a compliment too?" Marcus asked, placing a hand on his chest dramatically as he fluttered his eyebrows. "Maybe on my dashing good looks? Or was it my aim?"

"The latter, actually." Cinder said, Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"I could have sworn I had pretty good aim."

"You do," Cinder easily surrendered. "Which is why I am concerned as to why neither of the Huntresses found themselves full of holes when I fought them myself. You had plenty of time to fight back after all."

Marcus tilted his head as he thought about what to say. It's true that he had the skills and the aim to _maybe _beat one of them back if it was only just one of them. But with a sniper shooting at him and a Huntress using her semblance to take shots at him as well, and at the same time? He was more surprised that Cinder thought so highly of him. Unless, she was referring to the stupid dust crystal that Roman told him to shoot. He shot that before it hit the ground _and _it blew back the red one. He didn't know if that was what she was potentially complaining about, but then again, he hardly knew what Cinder was thinking at the best of times.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I might have been able to take one of them down with my gun, but one of them had a sniper, which is much better at shooting at range than a pistol by the way, and the other was a fully trained Huntress with a powerful ranged type semblance. I don't know how good you think I might be, but even I have my limits."

"Hm," Cinder at least _looked _like she understood. "That is understandable, I suppose. In any case, you did well holding them back while I got prepared."

Marcus nodded his head, taking what might have been a compliment for what it was.

"So, what's next for me then?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"At this time, there isn't anything I have for you other than assisting Roman and the White Fang on their dust robberies. Emerald will stay with you, which places you in charge of her."

"Mam-" Emerald tried to protest, but kept her mouth shut when Cinder glared at her.

"I care not for this foolish grudge you have against Mister Black, he will be in charge of you whenever I am not present, and you will listen to him. Am I clear?" Just in case Emerald didn't get the message, Cinder let one of her eyes burst into flames. Scaring Emerald into submission. Marcus chuckled as Emerald nodded her head and accepted the role as the support.

"Ah, isn't this great Mark?" Roman asked as he landed the Bullhead in the same abandoned warehouse from earlier that night. Continuing when Emerald and Cinder filed out, leaving just the two of them alone together. "Just like old times, isn't it? You and me, partners in crime going out and causing trouble. Heh, Ozpin must be rolling in his sleep knowing that he let the two of us train at his school, and come out like this."

"This isn't like back then," Marcus warned him. "I'll let this little slip up of yours slide this time, but we are not going to talk about Beacon. Not after what happened, and not after what I did. Listen to me Roman," He leaned forward onto his knees as he stared into the criminals eyes. Roman being Roman, wasn't at all intimidated. "The past is the past, and neither of us are the same person. I'm only talking about it now because you're not going to shut up until I do."

"Fair point."

"I'm not your leader or your partner anymore. If anything, I'm reluctant ally who was dragged into this mess. We're not friends, and as long as you don't do anything stupid, then I won't have to kill you under Cinder's orders."

"What's she got on you that's making you such a submissive little bitch?" Roman asked in a chuckle. Marcus didn't let himself get angry for it, this was what he expected. "I haven't seen you this whipped since-"

"Stop right there." Marcus cut him off, and stood up to leave the Bullhead. "This conversation is over."

"If you say so." Roman rolled his eyes. "See you around I guess, when we go rob a store again or something-" When he noticed that he was already gone, Roman sighed.

* * *

Marcus sat down on the bed provided for him, and to Emerald's dismay, it was the same room her bed was in, which she moved to the other side of the room as far as she could make it from his. He wouldn't be surprised if Emerald planted landmines between the two of their beds just to warn her if he tried anything stupid. He didn't have any ideas in mind, not this time anyway. He always did like to prank her.

Being in Vale again was quite the experience for him, especially after seeing Roman again. He would have rather not have Emerald put it together that Roman and he were once partners in Beacon so early on like she did, but he knew that it wasn't going to stay a secret forever. Like his father once told him many years ago, '_in order to know how to kill a Huntsman, you have to know how they fight.' _and with his semblance to steal other semblances, he definitely learned how to kill them.

His hand fished around in a hidden pocket sewn into the side of his pants, and he took out a thin photo from it. A photo he hasn't cared to look at in at least a year or two. He had no emotional reaction looking at the picture, he just felt like looking at it tonight.

It was a picture of him back when he was a young stupid seventeen year old, standing with his arms crossed and a cocky expression on his face. To his right were three others, first one with his arm resting on his shoulder was the orange haired, green eyed Roman Torchwick in his younger days, and to his right was a silver haired boy with black eyes, his name was Maddox. Lastly, there was Emma Flores, the girl of the team.

Half of them would be dead before they even graduated. Marcus clenched his hand absentmindedly and then stuffed the picture back in his pocket. He didn't know why he still had it even to this day. To reminisce? Probably. They were all his friends after all, back during a time where he actually liked having friends. He pushed the memories back, and forced himself to get as good as sleep as he can.

He felt like he was going to need the rest.

_And this is where it all started going downhill… Probably_.

* * *

**Hello all, like I said before I will be continuing this story. It is going to be a bit fast paced, but not incredibly so. This chapter is an example of that, keep in mind that Marcus is taking over from where Mercury would have in the cannon, and for the sake of not just making everything the same as the show, I will be writing original scenes and plots that doesn't take away to the cannon, but add to it. That's the plan anyway, I already have a reputation of just writing whatever comes to mind and sticking up the middle finger to the cannon. Mostly because I hate what they did to Adam, but let's not open **_**that **_**can of worms…**

**Also, yes, Roman being a student of Beacon in the past is a borrowed Idea from Coeur Al'Aran. As it says in his FAQ's, he doesn't mind if some of his ideas are borrowed. Or stolen, whatever you want to call it. I figured I'd say it here first before people start calling me a thief or something. Just in case.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far. **

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we are with chapter 4, first off I want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. Secondly, this is where things will start to divert from the main canon of RWBY. Even if nothing much would realistically change in reality in the case that Marcus did indeed win the fight against Mercury. That's what world building is meant for however, and at this point Marcus is basically an OC since we know NOTHING about him other than his death and semblance and shitty personality.**

**So much to go off of…**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

"What do you have to say for yourself young lady!?" A very angry and very fully trained Huntress and also a well known professor at Beacon Academy asked the very nervous, awkward, and shy Ruby Rose, a fifteen year old Huntress in training coming from a training school.

It turned out that asking Glynda Goodwitch for an autograph after the little scuffle with Roman Torchwick and those he was working with wasn't an entirely good idea. That was what she thought about as the professor completely ripped into her on her being too young for fighting criminals such as Roman and in the middle of the night where she was supposed to be asleep. It wasn't her fault though! She was low on dust rounds and had to go out to get some more, it wasn't like she _expected_ for the exact store she was browsing to get swamped by thieves.

"I couldn't just do nothing!" Ruby complained. "Those crooks would have hurt that old man if I didn't fight them back."

"You would have been killed if I didn't appear in time, if anything, you came out unscathed out of pure luck." Ruby yelped as Glynda whipped her riding crop down next to her hand, she pulled it back and slapped it back into her hand. But the threat was made, any back talk was not going to be very well received. "While the job of a Huntress is to defend the weak and innocent, that does not mean that we needlessly sacrifice our lives against impossible odds."

"But-"

"Now, now Glynda." A man's voice echoed around the interrogation room as the door to said room opened gently. "I am sure Miss Rose has learned a valuable lesson, isn't that right young lady?"

Ruby was quick to nod her head up and down. "Yep!"

"Hmph." Glynda moved over to the side of the metal table, allowing the headmaster of Beacon to step forward and quite literally take the spotlight as he took a seat across from the young girl. He placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies in front of the girl as well, and after he gave her permission to dig into it with a nod of his head he watched as she practically _Inhaled_ the cookies one after the other. When about a dozen of the cookies were eaten in about six seconds, Ozpin spoke up.

"You have silver eyes." He noted out loud, a small smile on his face as he did so.

"Yeah?" Ruby shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing how to respond to that.

"Indeed. Now, young lady, can you recall the appearance of those that escaped with Roman Torchwick?" Ozpin asked, leaned forward on the table with his forearms and elbow, smile faded away. Ruby thought hard on the vague features that she was able to see while she was shooting at the Bullhead, it was hazy, but she definitely recalled at least one female and one male, each with their own defining features and physical traits.

"Um… One of them was a woman with some kind of red dress on, which glowed every time she attacked. I wasn't able to see her face. But other then her besides Torchwick and all of his goons that I beat up there was just one other man, I didn't really get a good look of his face and it is a bit hazy, but I know he had white hair, a-and maybe he wore a red shirt too." She shrugged helplessly, unable to remember anything else about the man. She also recalled that he had a very _awesome _state of the art hand cannon, but a rule that was made for her was to _not_ gush over the weapons of her enemies. Especially when they were using said weapons to try and kill her.

Ozpin closed his eyes and took in a sharp breath through his nose, then looked to Glynda who recalled much the same description, but with slightly more detail. White hair, a red shirt with black armour plating on the shoulders and torso, black pants, black boots, everything screamed 'black' about the man, despite the hair contrasting the dark color entirely. He knew who they were dealing with now that he has confirmation from the only other person to see the people that got away in that Bullhead. "You are very lucky to be alive, Miss Rose."

Ruby resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She'd gotten this lecture already, she got it. "I know…" She said instead, her awkward side overwhelming what rebelliousness she once had a moment ago.

"I don't think you quite understand." Ozpin shook his head. "Tell me, have you ever heard of a man named Marcus Black?"

Ruby tilted her head in confusion and raised one eyebrow. The name didn't ring any bells in her head. "No… should I?"

"He is a very lethal assassin for hire, and has killed over a hundred people. Including Huntsman, Huntressess and important politicians all over the world. And those are just the ones that we know of." Ruby's face paled and she felt like throwing up the food she had in her belly from lunch earlier in the afternoon as she listened to everything that was listed off. She had no idea such a dangerous and murderous man had been so close to her. If he was down there with Torchwick… she didn't want to think about what might have happened to her.

"Oh…" She sagged her shoulders, she felt smaller than she already was.

"Oh, indeed." Ozpin replied. "I am happy that he did not see fit to jump down from the Bullhead and fight you himself, though Miss Goodwitch would have most certainly caused him some trouble if he had. It is concerning however that he has returned to Vale working with one such as Roman Torchwick… especially after the history he has here."

"H-history?" Ruby echoed nervously.

Ozpin's smile came back, it was sad however, as if he was remembering something worth carrying sorrow over. Even Glynda Goodwitch seemed to pity the poor man. "Do you know who I am?" He asked her.

Ruby nodded her head as she answered. "Yes, you are the Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

"That is correct, and in the first few years of my reign, Marcus Black happened to be among the roster of aspiring Huntsman and Huntressess. Alongside some others you may know…"

Ruby's eyes went wide with shock. "He's a Huntsman!?" She asked.

"Not anymore." Glynda answered for him. "He has forsaken his vows and took on a life of crime after an… incident on a mission he partaken years ago. He was in his fourth year, and practically as good as a fully trained Huntsman, if not, better. He would have done wonders for Remnant if he had stayed on the path of good. Now, he is one of the most wanted men in the world."

"Yes," Ozpin sighed sadly. "I am afraid that during his time at Beacon, he learned much more than he let us believe."

"He learned how to fight and kill Hunters." Glynda said for him, Ruby felt the pit in her stomach twist and turn. If they wanted to make her scared of the man, they definitely fulfill that desire. "And over the years he has been running rampant, he has sharpened that particular skill of his. Make no mistake, if Marcus Black were down there with Roman Torchwick, you would have been at the very least been severely injured before I arrived. Though the worst fate would have been more likely…"

Ruby swallowed nervously, she tried to control it but her shoulders shook as her heart beat faster than it was before. The professors saw this.

"I hope you understand now why Miss Goodwitch was so hard on you a few moments ago." Ozpin said. Ruby gulped again and nodded her head. She linked her hands together under the table and bowed her head, she really dodged a bullet a few hours ago, and all thanks to Miss Goodwitch.

"Thank you, for protecting me." She said as she looked to Glynda. The older woman softened her glare, and nodded back toward the girl. "I had no idea…"

"I do not blame you, the man hardly makes himself known even at the best of times, and there are few who have faced him and lived to tell the tale. The only reason we _do _know about him are because of the records he still has at my school, and even then it is only general information such as his name, appearance, etcetera. Even then, such information is outdated." Ozpin cleared his throat, and leaned forward. "Now, enough of that, I am sure you understand the danger now more than ever. I will be frank Miss Rose. Do you want to attend my school?"

Ruby's head shot up, and whatever fear and sorrow she may have felt was replaced by shock and excitement. A smile tugged at her lips as she nodded her head excitedly and nodded her head. "I do." She said. "I want to be a Huntress and make the world a better place and protect people. Beacon is going to be the next step after I graduate from Signal."

Ozpin laughed. "Of course, but I was not asking that question for the future."

Ruby's eyes went even wider than they were before. "Y-you mean…"

"Yes." Ozpin nodded his head and chuckled. "Would you like to enroll into my school two years early?"

Ruby nearly fainted with excitement, she almost forgot to answer yes to his proposal. After doing so, it was almost like she was dreaming about how easily the headmaster accepted her into Beacon without so much of an application.

"You are of exceptional skill, and I would hate to see it squandered in a trivial training school such as Signal." Ozpin said, as his only reasoning for pulling off such an exception for her.

Ruby couldn't _wait _to tell Yang about this!

* * *

_Next up are the plans, and boy, was there a lot of them. Some of them were good, some not as good, and I had a voice..._

Marcus watched the sparks fly off of a whetstone he was using in order to sharpen one of his knives, the little lights sparkled in front of his eyes with each pass he made. His gun was taken apart beside him, maintenance being done to them by the one he nicknamed Grass. Emerald wasn't exactly ecstatic for being made to do this per the request of Cinder, but whatever made her happy, she made sure it stayed that way. Though that didn't mean she wasn't going to hold that pouty expression on her face for as long as she could. At this point Marcus was just seeing how long she was going to keep that look up.

"You know your face will get stuck like that if you keep doing that, right?" Marcus asked her with a chuckle as he held his knife up, pointing it toward the ceiling as he looked at the edge. It was perfect. He even tested it out by running it through a small part of his hair. With hardly any pressure at all, the knife cut right through it. Even better.

"Screw off. I wouldn't be making this face if you didn't get Cinder to tell me to do this."

Marcus laughed, he still remembered the look on her face when he so sarcastically asked Cinder to make her do maintenance on his hand cannon out of a joke. It was nothing short of hilarious, and it was so very worth the glares he was going to get for the next few days because of it. "Wasn't like I expected her to actually go through with it, Grass."

Emerald hissed at him. "Stop calling me that."

"How about Gem then?" Marcus teased her. "Fit's well, considering you name. Or would you prefer Mint Bitch?"

Emerald flipped him off. "Damn old man…"

"Exactly." Marcus sheathed the knife he sharpened into his main sheath, and went back to work on one of his bionic legs. They were an old model and constantly needed maintenance such as greasing, oiling, repairs, all that good stuff. They were still a little singed black because of the battle with the Fall Maiden a while back, though the black fit his namesake, so he didn't make any effort to polish them back to their silvery color. He morbidly wondered if he could go back to his burnt down house so that he could take back the legs that he gave to his recently deceased son from his grave, since they were a more updated model and technologically more powerful than the ones he had now. But he doubted Cinder was going to let him go on that little trip. Either because of a lack of trust or because of how long it would take. Not to mention the self-surgery he would have to put himself through attach them. In the end, the idea would be just that, an idea.

"At least I didn't get revealed to the headmaster of Beacon so early on." Emerald sniped as she started putting his gun back together.

"Again with that?" Marcus sighed exasperatedly. "It's been like, a week since that happened. I couldn't exactly _not _shoot back at the two Huntressess trying to kill us. You should be thanking this 'Old man' for probably saving your life."

"As if, Cinder had it all under control."

He rolled his eyes and threw his knife across the room and into a beat up dummy that he found in the dumpster outside of a boxing club one day. It had many holes in it now, serving as part of his past time hobby of practicing his knife throwing. It was a handy trick, and not everyone fully expected a knife hurtling toward their face instead of a bullet. Only problem was that after the first one they would expect a second one. Which called for some skills sharpening. After throwing the knife into the same hole in the center of the dummy's skull for the fifth time in a row. Marcus was satisfied with his few minutes of training. Emerald finished putting his gun back together, and after taking that from her he decided to throw the knife one more time just for shits and giggles.

Cinder caught the knife before it could enter the dummy's face again, which caught the attention of Emerald as she immediately jumped to her feet, waiting for Cinder to give her an order. Marcus rolled her eyes at the display and stayed sitting down, but looked to Cinder to let her know that he was still paying attention.

"There are things that we need to discuss." She said, flicking the knife back at him which he caught with his left hand. Emerald immediately went on attention and Marcus crossed his arms, waiting for his boss to finally reveal some of that juicy information he knows that she keeps to herself.

"It's been a week since the last time we had anything to do, is there a reason for that?" Marcus questioned, raising an eyebrow as Cinder helped herself to a seat at a table near the center of the room. She draped one leg over the other, looking at them with a smile on her face. He wondered when the last time she didn't have that smug look on her face.

"I will explain that to you later, for now, there are more important matters to discuss revolving around our plan for Beacon." Marcus leaned forward on his knees, waiting for her to continue. Emerald did the same, leaning forward slightly with an attentive look on her face. She wasn't going to miss a single word.

"We know they have that… what was her name again? Sunder?"

"Amber," Emerald corrected him with a hiss.

"Yeah, that. Ozpin probably has her in Beacon, like we assumed before. It would be the safest place to keep her." Marcus suggested with a shrug.

"You would be correct, I have sources that tell me that after our battle with the previous Fall Maiden some time ago, Qrow Branwen brought her to Vale, and has most likely brought her to Beacon. No, not likely, I _know_ she is in Beacon." Cinder placed a hand over her heart. "I can feel it, the power, ever searching for its other half. Amber is here, so close yet so far. In order for me to gain the power I so desire, Beacon must fall."

"Fall?" Marcus snorted. "I don't know if you realized, but Beacon is _kinda _full to the brim with Huntsman and Huntresses. Not even I can take that many at once-" He widened his eyes as a thought came to him. "The White Fang… you're going to use them, aren't you."

"Correction; _We_ are going to use them." Cinder said as she reached across the table she was sitting at, and picked up a drink that was sitting there. It was a bottle of brandy that Marcus fancied to bring back after a night out at some club. He was going to drink it later, but wasn't about to tell Cinder otherwise. "After some preparation. In the ensuing chaos, I will search for the dear Amber, and finish what I started. This will happen when most of the students are out on their first missions, and the school being run by the staff and some professors left behind. That is when they will be at their most vulnerable. That is when we strike."

Beacon already had their initiation phase earlier that week, just a few days ago. Marcus remembered seeing it on the news on how Beacon had officially started its new term. It was still hot in the middle of Summer, but by the time the second semester comes around in the Fall he doubted that it was going to continue after that. He knew that look in Cinder's eyes when he saw it, she wanted blood. She wasn't interested in the students, or even destruction of the school. The White Fang would deal with that themselves certainly. She was going to kill Amber, take her powers, and then kill anyone who gets in her way as she gets out. Which meant, Ozpin, Glynda, and whoever else that stands beside them. Marcus crossed his arms and sighed through his nose, for now he was willing to go through with it, as long as he got his freedom at the end of it all.

"How are we going to get to Beacon?" He asked next.

"We will have been there for weeks before it happened." Cinder revealed. "We will infiltrate the student Roster of Beacon and pose as students until the time comes. This will happen in the coming months, so I am telling you both now so you could prepare."

Marcus laughed.

"Is there something that amuses you?" Cinder asked, tilting her head slightly. Her smile faded away quickly, nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, actually." Marcus admitted. "You do realize that I am not exactly _unknown _to Ozpin and probably his staff too. I'd be recognized. How many people beside the Schnee's have white hair?"

It was Cinder's turn to laugh next, and Emerald was happy to join in. Chuckling lightly as Cinder took a sip straight from the bottle of brandy. She turned back to him, smile back in place and a smugness in her eyes. It seemed that she discussed this with Emerald before she did with him. That was cause for some concern, but it depended on how serious it was. He was more annoyed than anything else.

"That will not be a problem. Tell me, What was your late son's name?"

And odd question, and at a strange time as well. It wasn't like he didn't like talking about the son he murdered, he actually used Mercury as the butt or primer of some jokes he felt like telling. Or even referring to him in comparison to Emerald as a way to get an amusing reaction out of her. "Mercury." He answered simply. "Mercury Black."

"That is the name you shall be taking then, when you come with us into Beacon." Cinder smiled as he held a flat expression on his face. "Of course, you will need to do something about that distinguishable hair of yours, as well as the facial hair. However, it is a sacrifice I am sure you'd be willing to make in order to gain the freedom you desire."

Always with the freedom that he wanted. _Yes_, he wanted to be free, free from everything. But that was a little messed up, even for him. To pose as his dead son to assist in the infiltration of Beacon. It sounded like a silly idea, yet he knew that there was a good possibility of it working. No one knew about Mercury. He used a fake name whenever he went out, and would be an unknown to the major populace of Remnant. He even looked different than him, taking more after his mother than he did him. He could probably get away with just changing his last name from Black to whatever other name he wanted to choose. The silver hair gene would have saved his ass as well. Still, to pose as him in order to get into Beacon… how was that going to work?

"An associate of mine in Haven, the Huntsman academy in Mistral, is willing to forge us some falsified records. Yours will be Mercury White, the reasoning for changing your surname should be obvious."

"Mm." Marcus hummed. It sounded like an odd plan, he could dye his hair or throw on a wig to change his hair color. Everything else would be rather simple to change. New clothing, altered personality, shaved face and he'd practically be unrecognizable. "I don't think it would be that easy." He said. "Actually, I'd go as far as to say it's a bad idea."

"How so?" Cinder asked. Willing to hear him out. He could _hear _Emerald scowling at him from the side, as if asking him how he dared to question Cinder.

"Ozpin's not stupid, for one." Marcus said. "I might be able to get away with it I didn't run into anyone who would know my face. But all it would take is one teacher, or just anyone who knows my face," Like Qrow Branwen, or that young girl with the red hood. "And bam, the whole plans a bust and we are forced out of Beacon." That was also assuming that he _looked _young enough to be mistaken to be seventeen to twenty one years old. If he shaved, he might look young enough, but as he was now, he looked more like his age. Thanks to the natural remedy that is aura, he still had young looking features, which was one of the things he had going for him.

"Fair point, I am glad you brought it up." Cinder already knew of those risks, she was just saying that to _sound _fair. Marcus let her get away with it. "However, that is not the _only _plan I have for you."

Marcus found himself intrigued. "Go on."

"Emerald and I shall still infiltrate Beacon, but on our own. We are not known by Ozpin or his forces, at least not by name or face. You however, as you said, are at risk of being recognized. Even with a disguise." She looked as if she was thinking to herself, trying to decide between something or the other. After a few moments, she sighed quietly and nodded her head. "Yes, it is too much of a risk. I'm afraid I must agree with you on that matter. While Emerald and I go to Beacon, you shall continue to work with Roman and the White Fang, and make sure that nothing goes wrong on their end. Of course, you will have other tasks that I will assign to you via scroll from within Beacon. But your main priority would be to keep those working with us in line."

"Which quite conveniently ties in with a task I was going to bestow upon you, and Emerald as well." Cinder leaned back in her chair. There were scarce few who would dare try and come out to say that one of her plans wasn't sound, or even good. She appreciated the change of pace, and Marcus once again thanked himself for saving her and putting himself so far up on her good side. She had a small degree of trust in him. It wasn't worth that much, but it definitely made life easier for him. The fact that he was actually able to talk her out of something spoke volumes, even if it was something as small as a change of choice of plans.

"Whatever you say, I'll make sure it is done." Emerald said, loyally bowing her head in respect and submission.

Cinder internally rolled her eyes. "I am sure you will. As for you, Marcus. I feel as if this task will be right up your alley."

Something shifted within Marcus. "Someone need to be silenced?" He asked.

Cinder chuckled. "Only if they refuse to join us, that is. You are to take Emerald with you and go to these five locations," She reached into one of the pockets sewn into her red dress, and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. Without standing up, she extended the paper toward him. Rolling his eyes, Marcus stood up and walked over to her to grab it. Once he did, Cinder continued. "In each location there is a person of interest of whom we must… persuade into aiding our cause, along with those who follow them. Your job will be to convince each person to join us by any means you deem necessary. Secure their loyalty, for some."

"And if they don't want to join us, I kill them?" Marcus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "Of course. I have no time to waste with rebellious criminals. I have Roman on my side, and we are appropriating the dust that we need. We are simply in need of other means of arming our forces. Such as weapons, explosives, drugs." Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever makes it even the slightest easier for us to become victorious in the coming months. Each person or people will have their own set of specialities that I would rather have on our side. So do make sure that they are dealt with properly."

Sounded easy enough. There was just one problem with this arrangement. "I work better alone." He said, jabbing a finger in Emeralds direction. "No offense to you Grass, but I don't want to have to worry about you mucking things up for me."

"Stealth and subtly are not anything you should have to rely on in this case." Cinder said matter of factly. "Emerald is going with you, and that is final. If something does go wrong, while I would presume you would be able to handle it. Emerald would be there to assist, or perhaps speak more sense to those willing to listen. Those who are not… well, you can do what you do best."

"Message received." Marcus gave Cinder a mock salute. He'd rather just hear her say kill them, and not dance around it like she did. It wasn't like he'd already killed over a hundred people already. Or was it two hundred? He stopped counting a long time ago, but maybe it was even more than that. He was rather active once he left Beacon, it could be a lot more than he even he assumes, or less. "Should I start now, or…"

"Start now." Cinder nodded her head. "The first on that list should be very willing, they would be foolish not too. I even heard that his club was assaulted recently, so he could use the extra lien."

"Hei 'Junior' Xiong, eh?" Marcus memorized the address, and stuffed the paper back into his pocket. "Leader of the Red Axe Gang…" He wondered what exactly compelled the man to name his gang something so ridiculous like that. "I'll go to him right away, see if I can get one crossed off this list real tonight."

"As you will. Notify me as soon as you cross him off your list, and tell me the result." Cinder stood up, and regarded both of them as she turned to leave the room. "I have faith in your ability to complete this task, but do make sure not to disappoint me. Neither of us will be very happy if that becomes the case."

That was a threat if he'd ever heard one. He gave Cinder a two fingered wave as he turned to Emerald, who looked nervous to a fault before she steeled herself and looked back to him. Nodding her head. "Where to?" She asked, for once not being sassy with him like she usually was.

"A club literally called _The Club_." Marcus snickered. "It's in downtown Vale, should be easy to find. Apparently it's a popular establishment, so it shouldn't be too hard to find." He said as he typed the address into the GPS on his scroll. It wasn't like any of the gadgets he used to have access to, but it would have to do for now.

That reminded him. Marcus frowned as he thought about it, he still had a target on his back. Defying the assassin's guild he was a part of was one thing, surviving one of their own hits another, as well was killing a dozen of them in one of their hideouts. He may be hundreds of miles away from that town he used to live nearby, but he was still in Vale. There could very well be a hit on his head, and he could very well still be targeted. Being careful was an understatement to what he had to be while he remained here.

"Let's go." Marcus said when he saw how Emerald raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what he could possibly be thinking about.

* * *

_The Club _was just as he expected it to be. Loud, colorful, full of half naked girls and foolish young men hoping to get lucky enough to get a girl that was desperate enough to take them in for a night. Though if one looked past the security guards even an idiot could figure out that there was an illegal underworld here. He wondered how this Red Axe Gang managed to actually avoid the police like this, but he already knew the answer the moment the thought popped up into his head. Police were unreliable, and fallible. They could be paid off to look the other way for even the cruelest of crimes.

"Name." One of the bouncers said as they stopped him at the entrance. There wasn't even a line, but these two dumbos were treating him like he was the beginning of one.

"Name?" Marcus laughed in the guys face. Emerald rolled her eyes behind him. "Junior is expecting a visit, Roman sent us." He lied.

The mention of Roman sent shivers down the men's spines. They looked to each other and swallowed nervously, obviously having some staring contest to decide whether or not they should actually let him in or not. One brought up a finger to a communication device in his left ear, asking the voice on the other side what he should do about this situation, and by the wince that twitched across his face it wasn't anything good.

"I-I still need a name, sir." The guy said. Calling him sir now. It was enough to make him snort.

"Just let us in and there won't be any trouble." Emerald snapped at them, they winced at the harsh tone of her voice. "If not we'll just have to let ourselves in."

"G-go right ahead." The other one stammered with a nervous laugh, turning to the side. His buddy hissed at him and asked what he was doing, but after a quick glare he became just as welcoming as he did. "Junior says he'll be waiting for you at the bar, you'll know when you see him."

"Thanks," Marcus said as he walked past him. As he was doing so he flicked off the stupid red glasses off of one of their faces. Snickering to himself as the man apologized to _him_ for apparently getting in his way. It seemed that he was already making a name for himself around the city of Vale, or at least the criminal part of it, anyway.

Marcus whistled as he looked around the club. It had an impressive view of not just women, but of the colors and dancefloor. It was nearly full, and he had to push his way past people in order to get to the bar. Emerald kept pace behind him, not missing a single beat and keeping up with him and at his side.

One of the people he shoved by wasn't happy about it, and shoved back at him. Marcus ignored him and kepting, but sighed and rolled his eyes as he felt weak and soft hand grip his shoulder. "You deaf!? I asked why the fuck did you push me." The boy who might have been old enough to be a man, slurred. The stench of alcohol was clear every time the kid opened his mouth, and Marcus couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that this kid thought he could take him apparently.

"Let's go, Marcus." Emerald hissed, grabbing him by his other shoulder.

"What? Oh no, no, no." Marcus wiped her hand off of his shoulder, and put his hands on his hips. "This guy is funny, I wanna hear what he says next. Actually no, I'm afraid he'd attack me the moment I turn my back." He said with fear so obvious the young man in front of him burned red with humiliation.

"Ugh." Emerald groaned, realizing this was a train with no brakes.

"Yah!" The man screamed as he sloppily and weakly threw a punch at him. Marcus caught the fist easily, twisted it, broke his wrist, and kicked him in the groin. The man went tumbling to the ground like a house of cards, whining and crying about the pain Marcus inflicted on him.

"Tch, bitch." Marcus said as he turned back around to face Emerald, who was impatiently waiting with her arms crossed and foot tapping on the ground.

People decided that the guy with the White hair was someone that they should _not _mess with after that little stunt. Making their way to the bar was much easier after the display of power. Most assumed him to be a Huntsman, some thought he was just a tough guy. Both were wrong, he just knew how to make someone hurt. There was a man with another pair of red glasses who spotted the two of them as they made their way to the bar. Marcus sat on one of the only available stools.

"Nah ah ah," He said, stopping Emerald from taking the seat next to him. "You're too young for a bar miss, try going for a dance or two instead. See for yourself if you are capable of having fun."

"Ugh." Emerald groaned as she took the seat next to him. "Damn old man, I'm twenty years old you know."

Marcus choked on air. "Twenty!? The hell have you been doing to yourself to make it look like you're twelve?"

"Aura you idiot." Emerald hissed.

"Ah," Marcus made a face that made it look like he suddenly understood something. "That makes sense."

"Are you the ones who called for the boss? The ones sent by R.T?" The bartender asked them as he handed them cups of water, using the very obvious codename that Roman went by at times. Marcus and Emerald chose not to drink it, just in case these guys were trying to do something very stupid.

"Yup." Marcus nodded his head and made sure he popped the P at the end of the word.

The bartender nodded, idly taking note that neither of them were going to take the drink provided for them and dumped the liquid into a nearby sink. "He is in the back room, I'll take you to him."

"Lead on."

They were led around the bar and up some stairs. Somehow, the music was even louder from up there. As they walked past the railing, Marcus looked over and saw a whole view of the club. It was rather large, with at least a few dozen armed men with either batons or pistols. He noted that just in case things had to get bloody, a quick glance to Emerald told him that she did the same thing. Partway through their little walk, they were joined by two other women. One dressed in red, and the other white. They were twins, upon further observation, and they were armed. From what part of the paper Cinder gave him said, they were sort of this place's bodyguards. Protecting it from those who sought to do it harm. But they were also barely as strong as a first year Beacon student, and while that was better than most of the population of Remnant, they were nothing compared to him. He had nothing to worry about.

They were met with a tall bearded man in a relatively lax looking room. Simple with three couches aligned around a coffee table in the center of them. A TV in one of the corners of the room, even a fireplace crackling with flames as a stock of wood next to it. Marcus was happy to greet the man casually and plop down on the couch across from him.

"You must be a Junior, right? I've been told _all _about you." Emerald sat down next to him, but made sure she had her personal space.

"Roman sent you, right?" Junior asked, getting straight to business. "What does he want now? I didn't think he had his own lackey to do his diplomacy for him now."

Marcus might have been offended by that, but he hid it with an amused smile. "Yeah, well, you know Roman. He knows who to trust."

"Which was why he _didn't _send me."

"What?" Junior said, bemused and caught off guard. The guards that were stationed in the room tensed up, their hands inching their way toward their weapons.

"Marcus." Emerald hissed at him, less than amused with his blunt nature.

"What? I'm just being honest with him." Marcus leaned forward, propping himself up by his elbows and staring into the man's eyes. Junior stared back, but he obviously felt uncomfortable now.

"If Roman didn't send you, who did?" The man forced himself to ask. "I don't take kindly to those who waste my time." He added in an attempt to intimidate him.

"Good, neither do I." Marcus threw it right back at him. "Because someone _far _worse sent me here to secure _your _loyalty, and you're going to be a good dog and accept your role."

"Who do you think you're talking to!?" One of the twins behind him snarled.

"If you think you're going to come here and make demands of _us_. Then you need to leave." The other said as she created sparks with her weapon. The threat was clear, but Marcus was unmoved. Emerald did her best to not show that she was tensing him, and placed a hand on one of her weapons just in case things needed to get violent so they could escape.

"No, I don't think I will." Marcus said, smiling cockily and standing up. The twins made to attack him, but Junior raised a hand up, halting them.

"Who are you?" Junior asked with narrowed eyes.

"Me?" Marcus pointed to himself. "I am just your friendly neighborhood assassin. Marcus Black." He couldn't lie to himself and say he didn't enjoy the sudden look of shock and fear in the man's face as he recognized his name. It seems that his reputation precedes him, even if his appearance didn't. "Let's see here," He continued as he took out the paper Cinder gave to him. "You, my good friend, are and information broker. Right?"

"Yes…" Junior replied hesitantly. Marcus looked over his shoulder and saw the two twins back down instantly, almost all the way up against the wall. His cocky grin grew wider as he turned back to Junior.

"Good, good. Would have been a problem if I had the wrong guy." Marcus laughed at his own poor attempt at a joke. "You understand what's going on now, right Junior? You see, I got this boss," He flourished his knife in one hand. He drew it almost instantly, and everyone in the room besides Emerald started to get worried for the neutrality this room was meant to represent. But with Marcus standing and sauntering around the room without a care in the world, with his weapon drawn no less. The implication was clear, they were not equal to each other. In fact, Marcus was far above them. "This boss told me to make sure some 'people of interest' stay interested in a partnership with her, and you, my good friend, are first on the list she gave me."

He threw the knife into the empty spot on the couch next to Junior. The man recoiled and jumped in place. The guards instinctively drew their weapons out against Marcus, but none of them dared to open fire. Not even the short tempered Malachite twins sought to make him pay for that. Junior's facade broke, and the fear was easy to spot in his expression, especially when Marcus walked over and pulled the knife out from the spot next to him.

"So," Marcus sheathed the blade. "Can I consider your name crossed off?"

Junior grit his teeth, trying to be defiant. But those black eyes of Marcus Black glared right back. "You'll have whatever information you need, or my men. I'll play ball."

Marcus smirked, satisfied that his intimidation tactic worked out without much of a hitch. "Good. I'll keep in touch, make sure to not do anything that calls for me to come back here." He said as he turned around, nodded to Emerald to tell her it was time to go, and walked straight out the door. Ignoring all the guns that were still aimed at him. The twins were in their way, but they moved out at the first sign of irritation on Marcus' face.

When they walked out, Marcus stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled along the sidewalk. Emerald close behind him.

"That was pointlessly risky." Emerald hissed. "That could have easily gone wrong, what were you thinking?"

"Kid, if you don't know this by now, you're an idiot." Marcus said with a sigh. "The best motivator for a person, is fear and manipulation. How do you think _one woman _is able to make the whole White Fang bend to her will?"

"Still," Emerald argued. "What if he made the order to attack us?"

"Then I would have killed everyone in that room except him, and he would have joined us anyway." Marcus shrugged. "That, or I'd kill him too. Like Cinder said, we don't have the time to waste it on some rebellious criminals. Junior is just an information broker and a leader of a shitty gang anyway, it wasn't like he would have been missed dearly."

Emerald conceded to his point. He was right to a fault, Junior was pretty much useless and only good for his information. His men even more so. He wasn't even one of the big shot gang leaders in Vale as well, if anything he might have been in the top ten, maybe top eight.

"Still, I don't like it." Emerald had to say.

"Then go back to Cinder, it's not like you're doing anything useful right now just following me around." Marcus replied.

"It's not like I _want _to be around you all the time." Emerald pointed out. "If I didn't need to, I wouldn't be here."

"Yeah, yeah whatever, keep making your excuses." Marcus yawned. "I'm beat, let's go back to the hideout. Call it a night."

"It's morning." Emerald correctly emotionlessly.

"Then I'll wake you up and the crack of evening!" Marcus laughed.

* * *

Headmaster Ozpin stood at the windows to his office, a hand gripping a scroll behind his back. He looked over the city of Vale. Somewhere in there, a very dangerous man was hiding, and everyone he was working with was in there as well. These were desperate times, and these times are delicate since the school term had just started in Beacon. His staff were busy enough as it was, and it wasn't like he could go out there and deal with this matter himself, no matter how badly he would have liked too.

He raised the scroll up to his ear after dialing a number. It only rang once before his most trusted friend picked up.

"Qrow. Yes, he is here." Ozpin listened to the reply. "I am calling you back early, this is a matter more deserving of our immediate concern. Return to Beacon."

He hung up quickly, just as he expected him too. Ozpin sighed and looked out over the city of Vale. Remembering when times were much simpler. Complicated. But still simpler than they were now.

"What happened to you, Marcus?" He wondered out loud.

He needn't have to, he already knew the reason.

* * *

**Whew, this chapter had some difficulties. First off, I'd like to thank a new friend of mine for helping me come up for a plot for Volume 1 of this story. Like I said before, in the actual show Mercury and Emerald don't really do anything until V2, leaving their whereabouts and doings shrouded in mystery. So thank you Roxas and my Beta CrowSkull for helping me out with that. **

**Please review and let me know what you think of the chapter! **

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**


	5. Chapter 5

**We're back. I ended up taking a break this week, I've been writing so much that I almost burned myself out. But I'm back after a short break of drawing, video games, planning, etc. This story is an interesting one for sure, it's really been making me think and plan with my mind working overtime. **

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

_Cinder was happy with us for a decent while. But nothing lasts forever..._

"You have secured this Juniors loyalty already?" Cinder asked Marcus and Emerald, impressed and bemused with how quickly they were actually able to cross off a name on their list already. Since she just gave the task yesterday, she expected for them to complete it in a few days time, and the whole list to potentially take months. However, at this rate, she was certain that they would be able to cross down the names of everyone else on their list in a few weeks time.

"More or less, I wouldn't rely on his 'loyalty' if I were you." Marcus said with a shrug. "Guy and his men were easy to scare, all I had to do was flash my knife a little and tell him my name and he and his men were too busy pissing themselves to stand against us, even those two twins that I sensed aura from didn't want anything to do with me. As long as the fear of me giving them a visit late at night stays in their heads, you can count on the support of the stupidly named 'Red Axe Gang'. At least for a few months, anyway."

"Most impressive," Cinder said with a smirk. Emerald preened at the praise directed to the both of them. Marcus simply nodded his head once and took it with ease. It was easy work, he didn't know why Cinder felt like she needed to praise him at all. "I expected this to be done in a few days time, but now I see that I was wrong to expect so little of you two."

"I see how it is," Marcus scoffed. "I am an assassin after all, I have experience in this kind of stuff. Sometimes I didn't even have to kill my target, just had to scare 'em into doing whatever my contractor wanted them to do, or worse." He shrugged. "Dirty work, but it put food on the table."

"Well, I would hope that you won't have to worry about such paltry concerns any longer, I did have my associate send you the money for the Fall Maiden contract, did he not follow through?" Cinder asked, her expression said that she would make her associate pay if they didn't pay him sufficiently, that level of what could easily be mistaken for camaraderie was enough for Marcus to snicker.

"Yeah, I got it. I'm filthy rich now, so now I can eat at all the expensive restaurants." Marcus laughed, and draped an arm over Emerald. She was so smiley for Cinder praising her that she didn't even realize that he was practically embracing her at first, but once he squeezed her shoulder she hissed and scratched at him like some kind of cat who didn't like to be touched. "Even took Grass here for her first dinner date, don't tell her but she's a little inexperienced." He whispered loudly, making it obvious that he wanted Emerald to hear him. The red eyed girl gagged exaggeratedly and thrust her elbow into his side, which only made him laugh a little harder.

"Did you now," Cinder chuckled, amused with their antics and bickering. "You didn't offer to bring me along? I should be hurt."

"Don't be." Emerald snapped as she put a good five feet distance between herself and Marcus. "I was hardly willing to go, I only did so because I never really ate at a restaurant before. That, and he wouldn't stop bitching about being hungry once we woke up this evening."

"Next time I'll give you a ring," Marcus winked at Cinder. "Maybe we can go to one of those really expensive joints where the waiters treat you like royalty. I'm pretty sure I can pose as a Schnee and get you in with me as a date, make a day out of it perhaps."

Cinder chuckled. "I am sure they would be frothing at the mouth at the sight of us all dressed, I may just hold you to that darling, so don't you dare forget." She replied. Emerald seethed in her anger, the obvious flirtations couldn't be more so. Marcus didn't expect anything to come out of it of course, if anything a one night stand might happen, and if she liked him enough she might try to wrap him around her finger and keep him around. He wasn't that stupid though, and he knew Cinder was smart enough to not even try to spring an obvious trap like that. Which was why he tested the waters out like this in the first place, it was part of his plan once he and Emerald woke up earlier that night. He wondered what Cinders game was, because he knew it couldn't be something as simple as attraction. That didn't sound like the woman sitting in front of him at all.

Their verbal battle of wit ended after Cinder took a sip out of her wine glass, looking to both of them over the rim with those exotic orange eyes of hers. When she set the glass down, Emerald and he stopped their bickering and paid attention to her. "Since you two seem to work so well together, you two will keep doing so until there is a task that requires special attention. Junior was an easy catch, and while I am surprised that you will able to secure him in such a short time, not everyone on that list will be as willing as he. However, I don't think that will be a problem for you two, will it?"

"Of course not, mam." Emerald said right away. "Everyone on this list will be secured, or dealt with accordingly if they refuse. I swear to you of that."

"I am pleased to hear you say that Emerald," Cinder nodded toward the green haired girl, who sat a little straighter as a result of the positive attention. "How about you Marcus?"

"Hm?" Marcus hummed, paying attention again.

"I asked you a question." Cinder said.

"Yeah, I heard." Marcus said. "And no, as long as I'm around, nothing bad should happen." And if he was on the other side, he would be. The insinuation was clear. Marcus was working with Cinder, but he didn't have that unyielding loyalty that Emerald had for her. There was a small degree of loyalty there since she helped him deal with the assassins that lived where he used to live a few months ago, but nothing that would make him lay his life down for her. He kept her alive at that moment for his paycheck, and he was originally going to ditch them until he heard about this Grimm Queen named Salem. That was enough to scare him a little, and keep him around until they got to Vale, and now that he was here and Ozpin caught wind of him, Marcus just decided to stick around because he had nowhere else to go.

"I shall hold you up to that as well." Cinder said with the same seductive smirk she always wore when she spoke to him. "I have meetings to arrange, and Mister Taurus is not a man to be patient for a human such as myself."

"Why don't you have Marcus kill him and replace him with someone more willing?" Emerald asked. She hated this Adam Taurus guy, since he was always such an annoyance with his divided loyalties and hostility toward Cinder and humans in general. Which meant pretty much everyone else that they worked with.

"Because my sweet, such a thing would be so incredibly obvious to the White Fang that they would rather throw themselves against us until they were all wiped out." Cinder explained.

"Right. Of course mam." Emerald flushed, embarrassed of her own question. Marcus yawned and rubbed his stomach, then snickered when Emerald glared at him again.

"Well Grass, you heard the lady." He said as he stood up, stretching his arms up over his head as he straightened himself up. "Time to get to work again, and see what…" Marcus paused to reach into his pocket and take out a sheet of paper that Cinder gave him. "'Rox' has to say about the offer Cinder is so generously making him. Wait, what does it say here? He's the leader of the… 'Rock hard Gunners'? Seriously?" He rolled his eyes and stuck the paper back into his pocket. "What the hell is with these Vale gangs, always giving themselves such stupid names."

"I am not one who knows the answer to that question. Now go, impress me again, and I might just reward you two for it."

"Sure, let's go Grass. We got an idiot to go convert to the Cinder religion." Marcus quipped. Emerald rolled her eyes as she followed him after loading her weapons, just in case anything went wrong.

"Not my religion, Mister Black." Cinder called out to him before he could leave. "But _our _Queen's."

Marcus' face went stone cold at the mention of that woman, this Queen of the Grimm. He didn't reply as he left the room and pulled Emerald along with him. He didn't know who this woman was other than what Cinder told him about her, and even that was precious little. This 'Salem' person was shrouded in mystery, and he didn't like it one bit. He would have called bullshit on her existence if the Grimm after they recruited Adam didn't just stroll right past him. But even then, he needed to see it for himself to believe it. He'll make it a point to demand an audience with this _Queen _in the near or distant future. He didn't like not knowing who his contractors were after all.

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch waited patiently until the elevator doors opened with a familiar ding, and stepped into the headmasters office with an armful of paperwork. Ozpin sighed at the sight of it, but wasn't focused too much on it at the moment, opting to pay more attention to the voice on the other side of the scroll that he was operating at that moment. His deputy headmistress noticed, and stayed silent other than a bleak nod of her head to greet him.

"Qrow, I will be putting you on speaker for the moment." The headmaster said as he pushed a button provided for him next to Qrow's head. The grizzled and rough looking man with red eyes smirked at Glynda, and even made the effort to wave at him through the camera, Glynda rolled her eyes and waved back.

"Now that you two have had your greetings, tell Glynda hear the same thing you told me." Ozpin said with an amused grin, which quickly turned into a grim frown as Qrow sighed and retold his tale.

"_Lionheart here is having some more troubles with an increase in Grimm activity around here. I noticed that the Hunters over here were declining pretty quickly, so I am here investigating that at the moment. So I won't be returning for another few days time."_ Qrow explained.

"I see. So you're actually going through with this Ozpin?" Glynda asked the headmaster.

"I am." Ozpin confirmed, setting his scroll down at the edge of his desk so that Qrow had a sort of false presence there within his office.

"You are sending a Huntsman after a man who specializes in killing Huntsman, you do realize that, correct?"

"_Is that concern I hear in your voice Goodwitch?" _Qrow asked with obviously forced laughter. "_I'm touched, truly, I am."_

"As irritating as you may be, I would rather not hear of your downfall by the hands of that monster." Glynda said as she crossed her arms indignantly.

"He wasn't always this way, you know this Glynda." Ozpin pointed out. "He used to be quite the honorable man. He looked after his peers and took care of his team, and can you fully blame him for turning into the man he is now after what happened?"

"No, anyone could have snapped like he did after that, but do you believe that he is a man capable of redeeming himself after all of the atrocities, even after all this time?" Glynda countered.

Ozpin frowned. "No, I do not think so. Not after..." His voice trailed off as a dark memory of sorrow invaded his thoughts.

"_I used to believe he could," _Qrow spoke up, his face looked dark as he spoke, and his eyes even darker. The man before them didn't feel like the man he was before as he continued. "_Marcus and I used to be pals, after what happened I thought that he was just angry, had to make some space to cool his head. I trusted him, my whole team did, we thought he was coming back. But as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, until eventually the months turned into over twenty years, the only thing that Marcus Black has in common with his past self is the name, and maybe a bit of his cockiness. Now that he's saddled up with Salem of all people, I have no idea what she has him doing. But it most likely involves Beacon, Vale, or my family, then I am one of the only people who can make sure he doesn't hurt anybody anymore."_

"Which is why I hand picked you for such a task." Ozpin said grimly. "You know him best, and while I know Mister Xiao Long would love a chance to go after him himself, we both know that he isn't as strong as he was when he was in his prime. Miss Goodwitch and I are needed here at the school, and I don't want to risk any Huntsman on my public roster on what might be a suicide mission. Your sister is off limits for obvious reasons, and with his ability to lock away semblances indefinitely, that would ironically work in your favour."

"Do you believe that Marcus is the one in charge of the operation that we know is running within the city itself?" Glynda asked them both.

"_Marcus ain't one to answer to anyone but himself or a contractor." _Qrow pointed out.

"Is that something you are assuming?" Glynda questioned.

"_Glynda, come on, from knowing Marcus yourself back in the day before you became a teacher, do you really think he'd just go belly up and eat out of some bitch's hand?"_

Glynda wracked her mind for those distant memories that she knew she had deep within her thoughts. Back to a time where she had a team, and friends that are still her friends even to this day. Her own team split apart some years after Beacon, simply drifting apart due to a lack of communication, but still spoke and met with each other every once in a while. She didn't know Marcus well, she could hardly have considered him a friend even that long ago. What she did remember was that Marcus was an outstanding combatant with an extroverted personality. He always spoke about something, and when he wasn't interested in something he'd move on to the next best thing. He trained for many hours every day, too much in her opinion, and he was the leader of his team, Team MRBE if she remembered correctly, also known as Team Mobster. Though that name now has a much deeper meaning than it did before, he did indeed care about his team. Speaking against authorities and even Ozpin and some points. To think that man turned into the man she knew now, it was disappointing to say the least.

"He could have done so much good in the world." She said with a soft sigh.

"_Yeah, preaching to the choir here." _Qrow snorted.

"In any case, we shall discuss more of this issue when you eventually appear in the coming days. When is the soonest you can arrive?" Ozpin asked him.

"_By the end of the week, I'll probably land in your office on Friday." _

"Good, then I shall see you then."

"_See ya'." _Qrow said as he gave the headmaster a two finger wave off of his forehead.

The call ended with the push of a button, and as soon as the screen went black Ozpin leaned into the back of his chair. "Whatever shall I do, Glynda?" He asked. "The man has returned to Vale, and reunited with what's left of his team. A shame that it ended up being Roman Torchwick, who is another matter entirely. Now they are both working together again, and against us. We also _know_ that Marcus is working with Salem because of what he and that woman did to Amber, so even if he wasn't working with Roman we know that he is working with at least one other person. I fear that this turn of events may be my fault, I should have pushed for a search after-" He cut himself off with a shake of his head. "Apologies, I am sorry you had to hear me sound so irrational.."

"You were being irrational." Glynda agreed. "But it is understandable why you would feel this way. Think on it no longer, as you said before, we are needed here at the school. We have students to teach, and your little project being the young Ruby Rose has been showing vast improvement in every category in these past few weeks. We shall direct our focus on our students first, and when Qrow arrives is when we can focus on _other _matters."

"You are correct, of course." Ozpin said with a small smile. "Now that you mention it, you must tell me, how _is _little Miss Rose doing?"

Glynda sighed.

"She is improving, but that may just be because of her partner…"

* * *

The next day, the two walking in the packed streets of Vale were the white haired assassin, Marcus Black, and his follow up being the green haired red eyed Emerald Sustrai, also known as Grass. After a days rest and some planning on Marcus' end, they went out to do what Cinder ordered them to do prior. He had to make a few calls in so he knows fully what he is dealing with, and Junior was more than willing to share with him some information on Rox and his stupidly named gang that he happens to lead. Despite the shitty name, there is a reason why Cinder wants him under her thumb, so Marcus didn't want to head in there blind.

Unfortunately for Emerald, he wasn't entirely focused on that at the moment.

"Look at this shit Grass." He complained as he got up in the face of someone who walked past him, they looked scared for a moment and quickened their pace, some broke into a run. "They know who I am, I was on every news channel for a few weeks. I am a wanted man here, and yet when they see me walking in broad daylight," He paused and looked up to the sky. "Moonlight," He amended. "They just look at me, think about what they are seeing, and then get all pansies on my ass and keep walking. You'd think for a city as big as Vale, there'd be at least a few tough guys around." No, instead all he got was narrowed eyes, dirty looks, and muttered was all he received. Some concerned mothers even went as far as to draw their children away from him. All the while Emerald simply kept up but kept a distance of about four feet just in case she is assumed to be aligned with him.

"You should be thankful of the fear they feel, if it weren't for that we wouldn't be able to walk out like this without some issues." Emerald said with a soft sigh. "And can you start paying attention again? We aren't making any forward progress."

"Grass, come on, you gotta agree with me here when you see all these… _sheep _walking around with quite the literal wolf among them. It just bothers me, you know?" Emerald didn't reply, but was forced to listen as Marcus went off on his rant once again with no signs of stopping anytime soon. "This is one of the reasons I never came back to Beacon, these people that I was meant and expected to protect with _my _life wouldn't even bat an eye at a criminal running around right in front of them. I don't expect them to try and do something about it, since they're so goddamn weak, but you'd think they'd at least _tell _someone, or call the police, useless as they are, to come and try to deal with us. Man, it's no wonder how Roman was able to stake a claim so easily and become the mastermind criminal of the whole place."

"Please stop bitching about something that will never be fixed, I will _literally _pay you to stop." Emerald proved her point by taking out her wallet, and waving about a hundred Lien in his face. Marcus snatched it and stuck it in his pocket before she could think to reconsider her choice.

"Too slow Grass, too slow. I guess it's true what they say about plants, so slow to grow and adapt." Emerald groaned her frustrations as he continued to tease her.

"Do you get off on angering me old man?" Emerald snapped on him.

"Eh, a little bit. You lose your cuteness when you simmer down, so I'd rather keep you heated. Just to make sure your guard is being held up, you should thank me in all honesty. I've been keeping you on your toes. I might just save your life with my words one day." Marcus laughed at the thought of it. Emerald bickering with him, and someone attacks them, the girl would be ready for it and take care of them and afterwards he would laugh in her face and tell her 'I told you so!' He really wished one of his assassin pals would try and kill them now, just so that he could prove his made up point.

"Ugh, the day that happens is the day that Cinder decides that she wants to create an orphanage for orphaned puppies." Emerald said.

"Was that a joke? Did you just make a joke grass? Damn, I'm impressed!"

"Shut it, if you found that funny than you're even more insufferable than I thought before." Emerald hissed at him.

"Ooo, insufferable, that's a new one. High class rich type eh? That old couple bitching about the food at the one restaurant getting on your nerves again?"

"Do you ever shut up?"

"Me? Nah, if my son were still alive he'd be chewing your ear off too just to get a reaction out of you. He was a bored kid like that, he was around your age too, I wonder if you two would have hit it off." Marcus suggested with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"The thought of being even remotely related to your family is enough to make me vomit, so please never suggest something like that again. It's enough that I had to listen to you and Cinder flirt earlier." Emerald put on a disgusted expression on her face. She was still sore about that short back and forth banter that he and Cinder had earlier where he suggested that he take her out to eat at one of those fancy restaurants to make up for not inviting her when he took Emerald out to one after he forcefully recruited Junior. He half meant what he said to her at that time. One of the small amount of things dear old _dad _taught him was that telling a lie mixed with a lot of truth was the best way to manipulate someone. He was attracted to Cinder, and if she wasn't the woman that she was now he might just make an attempt at her, but he wasn't willing to get into a relationship with her. He might be down for a one time thing, but little else. Though, Cinder seemed to hold her men up to incredibly high standards, which meant that she wasn't going to just be down for even a one time thing unless he _earned _it. That sounded like a lot of work, and so he wasn't going to even try it. It still irked him that Cinder fought with him a bit in that battle of words, he didn't know what her goal was for it, and not knowing something about Cinder was enough to worry him. For all he knew, she was planning to do something to him that involved whatever it was she put inside him when they first met.

"Oh please," Marcus continued on, not wanting to reveal any of his conflicting inner thoughts and hid behind a cocky smile exclusive to the Black family. "You're twenty right? One day you'll know what it means when a man and a woman are attracted to each other-"

"I am not a child Black. Ugh!"

Marcus snickered as she stomped off past him, making sure to bang her shoulder into his back as she did so. "Too easy, _way _too easy." One of the reasons he taunted her like that until she stomps off was so that she would leave him alone for a bit. Not so far that they wouldn't at least be in hearing distance, but far enough that he didn't have to worry about her getting suspicious of him. Well, more suspicious than she already was, anyway.

As if right on cue, his scroll started to vibrate in his pocket, signalling him that someone was calling him. He assumed that is was Roman following up on that request that Marcus made of him once he was done speaking with Cinder yesterday, and assumed correctly once the ginger haired man's voice started becoming audible through the scroll.

"_Y'ello, I have information on a kid named 'Rox' for Mister Black." _Roman said in a happy tone so obviously forced that it made Marcus rolled his eyes as he looked at his old teammate through the screen.

"That's me," Marcus played along, just so that this could get over with faster. "What do you got for me Torchy?"

"_Ah, back to the old nickname you know I hate, nice, real nice." _Roman snickered. "_I had a run in with Rox a while back, kid is in his mid twenties, thinks he's invincible. You know the type."_

Marcus thought about Mercury for a moment, he just turned twenty a few weeks ago before he tried to kill him. "Yeah, I know." He replied flatly.

"_Yup. So you know what to look out for, arrogance, cockiness, maybe he'll even try to lord what power he has over you. No, scratch that, he will definitely try to do that. I had Neo teach him a lesson once or twice, but he always comes back. Little shit isn't afraid of anything." _Roman sneered. "_Damn kids, why is it that kids have been the ones annoying me recently? First with Little Red, then with Grass, and this Rox kid becomes a thorn too. Do me a favour and make sure he stays as loyal as a pet dog this time will ya?"_

"If you can tell me what compelled this kid into naming his gang the 'Rock Hard Gunners' then sure." Marcus groaned. "Seriously, I can't believe you people, first the Red Axe Gang, then your shitty gang name 'The Roman Empire'. What's next? 'The Guys with the long schlongs?'"

"_Cute, but if you think about it mine is a little creative. Still better than most out there."_

Marcus conceded his point, and moved on from that annoying topic. "Fair enough. What do you got for me about this guy then?"

"_Well, other than what I already told you, Rox and his Rock Hard-"_

"Say it and I assassinate you next."

Roman sighed. "_Rox and his gang are revolved around power, weapons, and drugs. Get control of them, and Cindy gets a lot of manpower and motivation for some of the guys to keep working with her."_

"Hm, we'll see if he's really not afraid of anything then. Do me a solid again and tell him that Grass and I are going to pay him a visit sometime soon. Give him a fair amount of time to prepare for us at least." Marcus said, and reached into his pocket with his other hand to slide out a long cigarette. He lit it with a fire dust crystal and proceeded to puff it a few times, watching as the smoke was taken up by the wind and blown across the city. "Thanks for the help Roman, you'll get to live a little longer, tell Neo I said hi too."

"_Sure thing bud, I am glad I get to live as a pet dog to Cinder for another few weeks, it really makes me happy." _The master thief hung up his scroll a second later, and after a soft chuckle Marcus returned his to his pocket. Emerald popped up a second later next to him, he looked to her to show her that he knew that she was there for a while, and she made no effort to try and do anything silly.

"I wasn't aware you called on Roman for assistance." Emerald remarked.

"I wasn't aware you cared on what I do or not." Marcus fired back.

Emerald shrugged her shoulders. "Touché. So we're not going after Rox just yet?"

"Not yet," Marcus nodded his head, then flicked his head to the side only immediately hide the gesture with an exaggerated stretch of his arms. Emerald caught the message, and followed his gaze until she saw what he was referring too. Her eyes narrowed as her red eyes came across a masked figure tailing them from on the other side of the road about thirty feet back.

"I can lose them with my semblance." Emerald said with a smile on her face, alluding the pursuer into thinking that she was having a conversation with Marcus about literally anything else.

"Don't bother, where one is, others follow. They won't just send one assassin after me." Marcus faked a laugh. "They know better than to be so stupid."

"What do we do then?" Emerald asked.

"Follow me, we'll go to one of our safehouses, and don't bitch about it. I'd rather lose one safehouse in exchange for keeping our lives tonight."

Emerald bit her lip and nodded her head, trusting him against her better judgement and hoping that he was right. From her experience with assassins, not even Huntsman could stop them, and if they were anything like Marcus then they would need everything they have.

* * *

Marcus ended up leading them all the way to one of their less secluded safehouses. It was in an alley with a blocked off wooden fence. All it took was hopping over it and entering through a door on the side and into a relatively small room about ten foot by ten foot wide with two beds with pillows and blankets to go with them, a cooler full of drinks, and a ceiling fan.

"Now what?" Emerald asked as she closed the door behind them and pulled across an old school lock to weakly keep it shut. One good kick though, and the door would be sent splintering into pieces everywhere, it would be especially easy if this assassin also had aura, which they should obviously have, since they are going after Marcus Black of all people.

"We wait, pretend to sleep for a few hours. I fight best in close quarters like this, so if they come in here they're going to be screwed, and they should know this." He cursed when the power to that room was suddenly cut off. "Or… they could be stupid."

"What is the reward for killing you anyway?" Emerald inquired as she took a seat on the bed closest to the corner of the room, she sat in a position that would make it easier for her to spring up into a standing position just in case they did simply barge in to attack them.

"Eh, probably a few million lien and a free ticket to get out of the organization without being hunted like I am." Emerald balked at the news. "What? They don't take people like me lightly, and it's not like any assassin actually _wants _to be an assassin unless their sick in the head or something."

"So, why did _you _become an assassin then?" Emerald raised an eyebrow at him when he froze in place. "Did you want to become as lethal as you are now?"

Marcus laughed bitterly, and went on to keep watch over their hideout but peeking out through the window he knew was made of ballistic glass. "Honey, most of us were forced into the job, I can count on one hand the amount of assassins I know or know of that actually like what their profession is, and let me tell ya, those people are the ones _I _would want to stay away from."

"Like Neo?" Emerald wondered out loud.

"Except her, I know I can take her if I have to. Don't get me wrong, she's dangerous, but she relies on her semblance most of the time, and against me that is _not _what you want to do." Marcus said.

After making sure that the coast was clear was when he finally let himself sit down on the other bed across the way. There was a window beside Emeralds but it was easily in sight of both of them, so the assassin that was following them most likely wouldn't attack them, not tonight anyway. However, just in case they decided to get a little stupidly brave, he would stay up for this night and sleep during the day, and only after becoming absolutely sure that they weren't followed. He might have to split up with Emerald just to be safe as well. Split their attention right down the middle. She would get to Cinder, and he would be able to handle anyone who got in his way.

Emerald no longer spoke as time went on, she simply curled up in herself with her weapons in her hands, keeping a tired eye out for the assassin that was following them earlier. Marcus himself sits back in his bed with his back against the wall, flipping a knife in his hand every few seconds as a way to pass the time. His thoughts somehow strayed to the red hooded girl that he had encountered a few weeks back during his long train of thought. He held his hand cannon in his other free hand, and looked at it as he remembered that scene.

Roman threw that fire dust crystal right in front of her face, or it would have if he hadn't shot it early. A reaction like that came automatically, and he wondered why he did that, and not for the first time. He has trained his mind and body up to the point where taking a human life is not something he is not used to doing on a regular basis. He's killed friends, potential friends, even one or two lovers, and countless strangers he'd never get to know. So how did a little silver eyed girl managed to get passed that skill of his? It bothered him, not knowing something about himself bothered him more than anything, even more than this mystery of a Grimm Queen Cinder keeps referring too.

He grit his teeth and groaned loudly and with plenty of frustration. Having such thoughts like this was bad for a man like him, he was a bad guy, sure, but even he had emotions that could spiral out of control and end up with him losing his mind. Being back in Vale was doing more than he thought, and everytime he spoke with Marcus it brought up memories he committed himself to forgetting years ago. Now with the assassins after his head again, he was just plain stressed out now.

His thoughts were cut off and his black eyes went wide as he saw a shadow move in the darkness toward the tired Emerald who couldn't even see it. In truth he barely was either, but the flash of a blade headed toward the back of her neck was enough for him to act off reflex, and throw the knife he had in his hand straight into the blade itself, sending it clanging down on the concrete floor. Emerald woke up from her stir and kicked the woman away with a screech. Marcus ran to the other side of the room and made to grab the person to deny them of their semblance, but his hand barely missed her as she phased _through _the wall. He instantly figured out who this was making a shot at them after seeing that semblance.

"Damn it, not you." Marcus complained as he crouched lower to the ground, a much more frantic Emerald pressing her back against his as she watched his six. "You and your annoying semblance, Cobe, you hear me?"

"The great and dangerous Marcus Black remembers my name?" The female assassin bellowed as she materialized through the wall before him, she drew her mouth to reveal a pair of razor sharp teeth, she wasn't even a faunus, she just had them filed to a point. Her eyes were a piercing blue, and her hair a similar color. She only showed him what she wanted him to see, the rest of her body hidden in a shroud of black clothing barely visibly in the darkness. "I feel honored, especially since the last time we met you _stole _my contract."

"Eh, you were being too slow. All I had to do was pull the trigger, you were too busy fucking around to complete it so they hired me." Marcus said with that cocky smirk of his. "Not my fault you're a psychopath."

"Ah, I have hoped for the day when you finally get marked for a hit." Cobe cackled darkly. "That sharp tongue of yours is something I've _dreamed _of ripping out with my teeth."

Marcus shivered at the thought. He liked his tongue where it was thank you very much. "Yeah, that's a kink I am not willing to try out."

"Who is this bitch?" Emerald asked him, rounding around his shoulder to get a look at her. Cobe stared into her eyes and smiled as she drew up her mask, and materialized back into the wall.

"High tier assassin like me, but only because of the results she gets. Her semblance is annoying, she can pretty much merge with the wall and come out at any angle from any wall, floor, or ceiling of that building. Considering we're in such a tight spot right now… she can come out from any of these 6 flat planes we have surrounding us."

"Oh, great. Can't you steal her semblance?" Emerald asked as she looked around for any sign of the assassin re-emerging.

"If I make skin to skin contact, yes. But she is wearing clothes all over her body, and if that's the same outfit I am thinking about then I won't be able to steal her semblance unless she decides she wants to strip tease us."

"Shit, so we're screwed fighting like this?" Emerald asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," Marcus spun on his heel and pushed Emerald to the side, and fired toward a part of the wall he heard Cobe coming out through. The powerful dust round was parried by a steel wristguard, and Marcus tilted his neck to the side for his own knife from earlier to barely graze against the aura on his cheek. Cobe cackled as she returned into the wall, her voice echoing throughout the tiny room. No help was coming, this was just them against her.

"What do we do!?" Emerald asked frantically.

Marcus lifted her up and stood her beside him. "Call out when you see her, use your semblance on her whenever you can to try and distract her… leave the rest to me."

"I can still hear you~!"

"Yeah, I know." Marcus groaned. "Stupid bitch, you're someone that I am more then willing to put down. Even assassin have standards you know."

"Yes, and you broke that honor when you _stole _my kill!" Cobe hissed at him. "Now… let me return the favour.

Marcus spotted a knife flying through the air headed right toward Emeralds eye. No amount of aura would protect someone from something like that. His hand reached out to catch it, and deflected it with his aura.

"So… you wanna play like that, huh?" Marcus said as he reversed the grip on the knife in his left hand, and aimed his gun over it with his right. "Fine. Play ball…"

* * *

**And here we go, the first chapter of this big plan I have for this story now. I literally wrote about 3k words in plans and then proceeded to write another 7k for this chapter. It was honestly really enjoyable and a welcome experience, and I am glad I was able to come up with it. **

**Please review and let me know what you think so far.**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a bit late, sorry about that. As I've said in my other stories I've been a little busy with some… things. Sorry I let that distract me, but hey, at least it gave me some time to relax for once. So here we are again, this story isn't making as much traction early on as most of my other stories did, but I have faith. I am not one to give up so easily. **

**There is a fun fact though, as far as I know, there's like six stories in total on Fanfiction here that has Marcus Black as a character tag. Though I **_**think **_**I am the first to actually write a story revolving around him. Correct me if I am wrong of course.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

_I was stupid enough to think my 'old friends' were done with me, and they caused a lot of problems…_

Two highly ranked assassins trying to kill each other was something Emerald never thought she'd ever be able to watch. It was like she wasn't even there in the first place, and whenever she was given a chance to get involved the old man would just push her away. While she would usually complain that he was babying her for no reason, she figured that if this woman was able to make him even slightly worried, than that was a good enough reason for him to hold her back. She wanted to help still, however. Cobe's semblance appeared to be much more annoying than Marcus eluded too earlier. Even then, every time she appeared somewhere in the room, she could see the shimmer of white hair as he wasted no time to go and try and punish her for revealing herself. Only for sparks to fly as blades clashed against blades or bullets crashed into aura. She was out of her league here, and as much as she might have enjoyed seeing Marcus getting his shit kicked in, if that was how this fight was going to end up, Cinder needed him. So by extension, she needed him too.

The masked assassin fell out of the ceiling and slashed at Marcus' back, he bent forward impossibly quick to dodge the attack, and spun around to catch her wrist as she tried to recklessly stab him through the neck. His hand lunged out toward her mask to rip it off, but the woman leaned back and twisted out of his grip, then flipped through the air. When she landed she went straight through the floor, merging with it once more. Emerald cursed and pressed her back against Marcus', who held a low stance as he looked around the room for any signs of the other assassin emerging once more.

"So _dangerous_, your reputation precedes you! Even in spite of your old age." Cobe mocked with a disturbing cackle.

Marcus groaned and complained. "I'm not _that _old…" He said indignantly. Emerald could almost imagine a pout on the older man's face.

"This is no time for stupid banter Marcus!" She hissed right before she fired a few rounds into a wall. Then cursed when a ruined piece of metal that was part of the wall fell off.

"Banter is a form of combat itself, Grass." Marcus countered as he slowly turned with her still pressed against his back. "Distracts your opponent, makes them angry. Most of the time they would get more reckless."

"Trying to teach me something I already know?" Emerald snapped.

"Obviously you don't, if you're this stressed out right now." Marcus snapped back, roughly shoving her to the side and tripping her over. Emerald looked back to see a hand that very nearly grabbed her ankle. She didn't know what would have happened if she was pulled into the floor with the woman using her semblance, but she did not like what her imagination managed to come up with. "Sit tight and be defensive, and stick to the plan." The ex-assassin told her.

Cobe threw herself out of the wall and hurled at him like a spear. Such an attack was reckless yet very powerful. Marcus barely reacted in time and blocked her blades with the side of his gun, and caught the other blade with the edge of his knife locking itself into one of the sawteeth that her longer dagger had carved into it. Emerald caught sight of the woman's dark blue eyes, and hurried to try and use her semblance. Cobe turned away at the last second before Emerald could make her feel like she was falling or fighting multiple Marcus', and caught the white haired man across the cheek with her elbow as she twisted away and landed in a low stance. She tried to sweep Marcus' legs out from underneath him, but when her shin came in contact with the back of his leg, a loud painful _clang_ echoed throughout the small room.

"Agh!" Cobe cried out as she dragged her shin back, a stinging pain running all the way of her leg even through the padded light metal armour she had on her body.

Marcus smirked at her. His bionic legs were good for one thing, he didn't have to worry about defending them from attack. Only bad thing about them was how plain they were, unlike his dear son, his bionic legs were just that, legs, without any extra function. "I love it when people try to do that to me." He said as he picked his leg straight up over his head, and crashed his heel down to _slam _it on the back of the other assassins skull. Cobe was struck, and was struck _hard_, but instead of her face being smashed into the floor, she went right through it with her semblance. When Marcus' heel made contact with the ground, it peeled up and cracked under his strength. Shards of concrete went flying throughout the room, and Emerald winced as one of them pelted her in the chest.

Once Cobe got hit as hard as she did, she started to get more cautious, and all of her attacks after that was specifically aimed to not hit Marcus in his bionic legs. Emerald could barely keep up with what was happening, and wondered how the old man was able to keep moving as quickly as he was for what felt like hours. There was a point where the woman started going after _her_, and she was barely able to defend herself against the crazy strength of the female assassin. Her back was against the wall and she was struggling to try and push her back, and only did when she desperately pulled the triggers on the firearm mechanism of her guns. The recoil was enough to stun the woman, which gave Marcus time to punch the woman across the face and _cut _her mask off as he pulled back with the edge of his knife.

When Emerald saw her full face, she grimaced. It wasn't that the woman had anything wrong with her face, other than the filed to a point teeth she had poking out of her mouth, the only deformation she could see was the tiny holes and scabs across her lower lip. Evidence of her accidentally hurting herself with her own teeth. Other than that, she looked like a regular normal person, the kind of person that she wouldn't even react to had she seen her on the sidewalk walking past her.

Before any words could be said, Marcus dashed forward again while she studied her face and committed it to memory just in case the worst did come to pass. This time around the woman was more worried, protecting her face like her life depended on it, and it probably did when she was relying on her semblance so much. Marcus wasn't giving her a single second to rest. Emerald had to hand it to the old man, annoying as he is, one thing he knew how to do was fight. When Cobe tried to retreat back into the wall, Marcus grabbed her by the wrist and ignored the pain in his hand as a blade bounced off of his aura. She kept trying to get him to let go, but he just wouldn't.

"Grass, now!" Marcus screamed at her.

Emerald didn't waste any time to try and correct him, and stared into the woman's eyes with wide red eyes of her own. She made her see the first thing that came to her mind, which was the walls and floor crumbling around her. All of her possible escape routes being cut off by ones such as Cinder, Roman, and even that Neo girl. It was all an illusion, but the woman wouldn't know about that. As far as she knew, she was surrounded and helpless, because as her eyes scanned the room frantically for any kind of escape. Marcus' exposed palm in his glove was pressed against her the skin of her face.

There was a flash of blue aura and a scream of agonized grief as the woman had her semblance stolen away from her. Marcus growled at the woman and pulled the woman up by the bun she made out of her hair. Cobe desperately tried to attack him with her weapons, but Emerald made sure to shoot them out of her hands before they could make contact with his aura. He looked back and nodded at her, thanking her for the assist.

"Your semblance is gone, Cobe. You're not getting it back. You've lost. Now tell me, how many of the assassins are in Vale?" Marcus asked as he held the woman by her neck and pushed her up against the wall. He was making sure that he didn't squeeze so hard that she wouldn't be able to breathe, but made sure that he did squeeze hard enough to let her know that if she tried anything he'd break her neck. He put his gun and knife away as well, only because now he no longer needed them. This fight was already over.

"Hehe… it will be an honor that it took the _lethal _Marcus Black in order to kill me." Cobe said to him with pained blue eyes, and a bloody toothy smile to go along with it. "Get on with it Black, you won't get anything out of me. Unlike you, I am not a traitor-"

Emerald grimaced as her voice was cut off as neck broke with an audible _snap _as her spine twisted and cracked. Her head was spun all the way around in an instant, and Marcus dropped her body down to the ground with a dull thump. "Fucking idiot…" He stayed looking at the body and the shocked dead bloodshot eyes that stared back up at him, and sighed as he turned around to look at her.

"You hurt?" He asked her with no obvious concern in his voice.

"Aura is a little low, but I'm fine." Emerald said as she glanced down to her scroll and aura gauge, on another meter underneath hers, she could see that his aura was just as almost full. She raised an eyebrow but thought none of it, he didn't take many hits after all, and the ones that did connect weren't very strong evidently. "That woman was insane, why was she after you? How did they know you were here in Vale?"

"Grass, I've been walking around in the open like an idiot for these past couple of weeks." Marcus chuckled. "Not to mention that I still have a hit on my head. Even after these past few months, the organization I used to work with don't take kindly to those who tell them to fuck themselves and live to tell about it." He kicked at Cobe's dead body. "If there's one, there's bound to be more to come. I must have thousands on my head, maybe even millions if they're that desperate enough to have me killed. Every assassin in Vale would want to collect on my bounty."

"We'll have to be on guard then," Emerald rubbed a sore muscle on the back of her shoulder. "This hideout is compromised. We shouldn't ever come back here. We also should get rid of the body and tell Cinder about this to see what we should do about it."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Marcus said as he walked over to one of the beds and ripped the sheets off and threw it on the dead body. He knelt down and wrapped up the body in its entirety. When he was done, he picked it up and threw it over his shoulder. "We'll throw it into the ocean, it's the best place to hide a body, especially with all the light metal armor she has, she'd sink to the bottom quickly. We just need to get to the docks."

"Agreed, but won't we be seen if we walk around in the open at night with a dead body on your shoulders? That's bound to attract the wrong type of attention."

"I know an old route," Marcus said a little softly. "To get to the harbor, there's an old route assassins were able to pass through underground. We could go that way, or we can take the alleys and hope for the best."

"Which way is less risky?" Emerald asked him.

Marcus shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"Great…" Emerald sighed. "So we can either go underground and risk running into one of your assassin friends, or we can take the alleys and risk getting the police called on us."

"Also, my assassin friends might still attack us in the open." Marcus pointed out. "Or while the police chased us. Could have a few within the cops as well."

"Underground it is then," Emerald decided. "Lead the way."

* * *

Marcus ended up leading her to a sewer in the middle of an alley. They just had to cross a lit up street. Just in case there were bystanders walking around this late at night, they had a casual conversation of them complaining about taking out the trash all the way until Marcus kicked open the lid to reveal a pristine looking ladder. The tunnel itself was surprisingly well ventilated, even if it did smell like they were walking through a dump. Luckily, there were none of Marcus' old friends that decided to jump out at them. It was a maze to Emerald, but Marcus seemed to know exactly where he was going. She was forced to trust in his judgment until they made it all the way to another more wet tunnel system which lead to another ladder, this one much more rusty, and they climbed out of the ground and up onto the harbor.

It was about four in the morning by the time to finally got there. The sun was beginning to rise in the far distance, but there was nobody around. Marcus wasted no time and jogged toward the edge of the docks and threw Cobe's body into the ocean. The water swallowed the body up instantly, and Emerald watched and wondered morbidly how long it would take the fish to pick it clean of its flesh.

"That's that taken care of." Marcus said with a sigh through his nose. "You think Cinder is awake right now?"

"I don't know," Emerald admitted honestly. "I find her asleep very rarely, especially since she gained the powers of the maiden."

"Well, we'll find out soon I guess." Marcus said as he scrolled through his contacts and pressed his finger on Cinder's name. The scroll only rang for a few seconds before the woman's seductive voice came through the line on the other side.

"_Don't tell me you've completed your next task so quickly?" _Cinder asked him when her face appeared on the scroll.

"No, we ran into an issue that we felt that we should run by you." Marcus told her truthfully.

"_Have you now?" _Disappointment ran over Cinder's face. Emerald felt a stab of guilt in her heart, and the apology came out of her mouth before Marcus was even able to reply. "_What happened?" _Cinder asked next.

"It seems like my old friends aren't exactly finished with me yet," Marcus said as he sat against the railing. "Me and Grass were being followed was we were on our way to this Rox kid's place, so we went on to lead them to one of our less used hideouts. They tried to ambush us, but we were able to handle it."

"_I presume that these old friends of yours have been dealt with." _

"Yup," Marcus nodded to her. "Threw her body into the ocean. That hideout is lost, but she was a pretty high tier assassin like I was. They aren't going to be so brave the next time around."

"_Hm," _Cinder smirked at him. "_Even though we may have lost one hideout, I suppose that is a small price to pay for how value you and Emerald's lives have. You acted well."_

"Thanks." Marcus rolled his eyes when he saw Emerald light up like a Christmas tree. "But there's something else I want to run by you."

"_Go on_." Even though Emerald was waving her hands no at him, he wanted to ask her anyway. It wouldn't hurt, and it would definitely make things easier for all of them down the line if he was given the okay to do this.

"I want to go after them, I have an idea where the main base is around here in Vale. If I can find it and take down the leaders here, then the organization will be fractured and we'll have more than enough time to do what we need to do." Marcus explained to Cinder.

"_You want to destroy the assassins, is that so?" _Cinder asked him.

"Yeah. It would put a halt on what you want me to do, but I feel like it would be worth it down the line." Marcus said with a flat face.

"_Are you saying that you can't handle what they throw at you in the case that you continue your task?" _Cinder raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well… no, not really." Marcus answered honestly. "I'd be able to handle anything, as long as they don't catch me with half aura and my pants down."

"_Then I have faith that you will continue to impress me." _Cinder said with that smile of hers that told him that her decision was final. Even then, he pressed on.

"Are you sure this is the right decision?" He questioned her. "These assassins may not be a threat to me, but to Roman and the White Fang? The could tear them apart."

"_The fact that they have not done so already tells me that it is not as easy as it sounds to them." _Cinder countered. "_I am sure that dear Roman has had a few visitors late at night while we were absent from Vale. He can handle himself. As you can. My decision is final Marcus Black. Take Emerald and rest for the night, tomorrow I want you two back on your task, but keep your guard up. I wouldn't want to hear of your unfortunate demise."_

Marcus sighed when Cinder hung up the scroll on him without giving him any time to reply. He stuck the scroll back in his pocket, and turned around to gaze into the horizon of the ocean before him. The ocean was just beginning to rise, and he could see it's dark red-orange shine off the water miles ahead of him.

"You shouldn't have questioned her." And just like that, the moment of tranquility was ruined with the rush of the reality of life. No rest for the wicked, at least mentally this time around.

"Maybe." Marcus shrugged, not really caring for what she thought of his decision just then. "You heard the lady Grass, time to take it easy for the rest of the… morning, I guess." He said as he pushed off of the railing and started walking back toward the city, Emerald quickly caught up and told him of a nearby warehouse that was secretly taken over by the White Fang that they could hunker down inside for a few hours. Marcus followed her, and with only a few glares from some of the faunus they were able to find a room and rest for the duration of the sun's light.

Marcus slumped down on the soft couch provided for them, and the moment he shut his eyes he fell asleep. There wasn't much else for them to do until the sun went down and it was dark outside again, so he slept until the sun was down and out of the sky. By the time he woke up, Emerald was just about ready to smack him until he opened his eyes. It didn't matter if their aura wasn't all the way back up to a hundred percent just yet, it was time to get back to work.

* * *

"Man, I feel like the sun was out just a few minutes ago." Marcus groaned as he and Emerald walked out of the warehouse that the White Fang took over. The got a few more glares, but it seemed like they got the memo when they recognized Marcus for who he was. Adam must have told and warned them all about him. Good for them, now they won't try to do anything stupid for him just doing what his job entailed. He assassinated people from both within the White Fang, and those who were their enemies. He didn't discriminate, and didn't quite care about their questionable revolution unless they were paying him for a contract.

"You were asleep for nearly twelve hours." Emerald pointed out. "Then you sat around and made me watch some stupid movie with you for the next two."

"Oh yeah," Marcus chuckled. "I do remember that, fancy that. To be fair the movie wasn't that bad. I happened to be really touched when that Grimm-wurm swallowed up the hot girl while her dumb ass friends screamed in terror. Ah, it really hit me on a spiritual level." He said as he wiped a fake tear away from his eye.

Emerald rolled her eyes. The movie wasn't _that _bad, maybe, and in fact it caught the Grimm-wurm creature pretty well, even if it was a little _too _big at times. Grimm were always the worst in Vacuo, they always seemed to evolve purely in a way to screw someone over in the desert. What kind of God thought that a Grimm that could live in the sand in Vacuo, which spanned over the entire continent, and thought that was a good idea? She's never been there herself, but she'd never want to now, especially after a tale that Marcus did _not _have to tell her.

It was about some contract someone from Mistral gave him to go all the way to Vacuo and kill some guy in some village in the middle of nowhere. Finding said village was difficult, but he developed his tracking skills a lot at that time apparently. There was Grimm, bandits, too friendly travelers, and other assassins. He managed to complete the contract, but swore to never go there again, at least not for a contract. Even though he's still never been there again in what's been about half a decade so far.

"Well, as much as I would love to continue to make you uncomfortable, it's time to get back into serious mode." Marcus said he flicked his chin to the side to point out the few obvious gang members walking beside them on the other side of the sidewalk. Apparently these 'Rock Hard Gunners' favorite color was blue, and they used to be a rival to the Red Axe Gang, but they mutually decided to leave each other alone in some truce agreement. Whether that was because they realized that fighting each other just because one was red and the other blue or because they just didn't want to waste resources on each other any more was unimportant. What was important was that Cinder wanted them both on her side, and one was down. Hopefully this Rox kid would be as submissive as Junior was. If he was smart enough, that is.

Central Vale, that was all the information that the little piece of paper that Cinder gave him said about where Rox and his gang were located. It was an inconvenience, but if one paid attention hard enough it really wasn't that hard to find, at least not for someone of Marcus' caliber. They just saw those two guys walking across the street with a badge on their shirt that said 'RHG' in big black and blue lettering and figured that they were from the gang. That hunch was proven right when they were seen entering a building with neon blue lights above a door.

"It is beyond me how the police in this city could be so clueless." Marcus said with a grunt. "Neon blue lights, some shady guys obviously standing guard in front of it with a concealed holster, _and _the RHG badge. How less subtle can these guys be?"

"Less bitching, more recruiting." Emerald said as they casually strolled up to the two guards, who were keeping an eye on them the moment they started walking toward them after cutting across the empty street.

"Yeah, yeah, let me work my charm." Marcus said as he stood up a little straighter, and allowed a cocky smirk to curve up from the corner of his lips. "'Sup boys, is Rox here?"

"Get out of here asshole." One guard warned him as he put a hand on his weapon.

"Rox doesn't see anyone without a scheduled meeting." The other said.

"Well, we're here to have a scheduled meeting with him." Marcus said, gesturing to himself and Emerald.

"We were sent by a woman, she might have sent a forewarned message of our arrival. We're here to talk and make some arrangements, nothing more." Emerald explained.

"Yeah? Rox read that message in front of all of us, and you know what he said?" One of them, the one with green eyes looked down at her.

"He said you could go take your offer and _fuck_ yourselves with it." The other snickered.

"Charming fellow." Marcus quipped. "Listen boys, I am not one for dancing around, so I'll just flat out say it." In a flash he brandished his knife and flourished it in one hand. The guards drew their guns out and pointed them at him, their smiles gone and eyes going wide with panic. "Name's Marcus Black, might have heard about me, might not have. But if you do." He pointed the tip of the knife at each of them. "Then you know that one way or another, I am not about to let two assholes with shitty attitudes stop me from getting what my contractor wants. So, with that said, how do you two punks want to handle this?"

The two guards released the safety on their guns with an audible _click_.

"Thought so." Marcus threw his knife into one's eye before he could pull the trigger, and the other fell with a muffled cry of pain as Emerald appeared behind him and stabbed him through the back, the point of her green blade sticking out the other side covered in blood. They both fell over, but Marcus prevented them from falling out into the sidewalk, pushing them together so they looked like they were sitting snuggling instead of dead.

"I knew you were up to something Grass." Marcus said as he wrenched his knife out of the man's eye socket.

"I made them think that I was still behind you as I went behind them." Emerald said as she wiped the blood off her weapon one of the dead guys pants. "So, are we sneaking in or are we crossing this name off our list early?"

"Not yet, I'll give the kid the benefit of the doubt." Marcus said with a small nod. "Maybe he just had some dumb ass guards, lets just sneak in for now."

"Doesn't hurt to try, I guess." Emerald agreed.

Sneaking in wasn't that hard, in fact it was quite easy. Rox and his gang members seemed to think that they were the top dog are these parts. Which they weren't as long as Roman was around, but as they snuck throughout the compound they quickly realized that Roman's name was blacklisted around here. Unless you were talking bad about him, it was a rule not to talk about him. Injured pride then, Marcus noted. He's dealt with those kinds of people before, the kind of people who hire an assassin to take down a rival for whatever it was that they were doing. Most of the time it was for someone who 'stole' a woman or man away from them, and that rival had to have an 'unfortunate' accident in order for them to gain some leeway. In some fucked up way, it worked most of the time. Humans had fragile minds like that, latching onto anything that might make them feel good. For Rox, it was apparently forcing those beneath him to stay loyal to him and brand themselves as a permanent member of his gang. From what he overheard as they snuck around the base looking for Rox himself, he had an aura, and was among the only ones in the gang to have aura, along with some training to use it. Typical arrogant nobody, Marcus knew exactly how to handle him.

Emerald used her semblance on a sole guard who was guarding a room, and they walked past him like they belonged there. Marcus even nodded to the guy, who nodded back politely.

"Wait a second," Marcus said to Emerald as they walked by a few generators. "Just in case."

"What are you doing?" Emerald hissed as he knelt down and took to making a few adjustments to the electrical generator. Adding a little modification of his own to make things go a little easier for them if what he thought was going to happen was actually going to happen.

"Just a precaution." Marcus said as he typed a few codes into his scroll, and armed the device that he planted within the generators control panel. "Let's keep going, he shouldn't be too far now."

His words rang true as they came across a wide open room with double doors with neon blue light peeking through from around the edges. Marcus and Emerald looked to each other and rolled their eyes at the same time. There were two armed guards at the front of the double doors, and both were knocked out as Marcus and Emerald rushed them at the same time and silenced them before they could shout them out. They let their unconscious bodies fall softly to the floor, and without a second thought Marcus pushed through the double doors, earning the attention of over a dozen armed people who all stopped what they were doing to aim their weapons at them.

"Stop," Their apparent leader said as he raised one hand, each finger wrapped up in a ring. "These two went through all the trouble to come see me, I guess I can allow them to hear what I have to say." Rox said as he leaned forward in his seat, the two women who were obviously being paid to sit on his lap hopped off and were dismissed into a different side room. Marcus and Emerald stood in front of him about twenty feet back, the former with his arms crossed and the latter tense and ready to bring out her weapons.

"Now tell me, the _fuck _are you doing in my home base?" Rox asked. He was a young guy, just as the paper told him. He dyed part of his black hair blue and shaved one side of his head. His ears both had two gold earrings, and the guy even went so far as to wear contacts to make his eyes look unnaturally blue, even by Remnants standards. His clothes were similar to the uniforms the rest of his gang wore, but with blue ripped jeans and much more bling about the outfit. Everything about him screamed 'yes, I am the one in charge this gang here, shoot at me first'.

"We're here to make an offer." Marcus started off with, not letting the kids arrogance rub off on him.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Emerald warned as she kept her hands close to her weapons, but not yet touching it. They were surrounded by about a dozen armed guards, plus two more who came through the doors behind them and with no cover to hide behind if they started shooting.

"Oh yeah?" Rox asked, chuckling. "Are you from that bitches group? What was her name… something Fall, something like that. Now, my memory might be bad at times, but I _explicitly _remember telling her to fuck off."

"Well, that woman is someone that does not take no for an answer." Marcus said with a smirk. "What's so bad about it? You work with us, you get paid and some rep. Should be a win-win, we both get what we want."

"The Rock Hard Gunners don't work for _anyone _buster." Rox spat to the side. "Now, I'm a merciful man, so I'll give you a choice: Get the _fuck _out of my base, or I'll order my guards to kill ya both."

Marcus' eyes flashed dangerously, Rox took a step back in shock as he felt gravity pull down on his body even more. "You know who I am kid? Probably not." He laughed bitterly, allowing his white aura to simmer down. He didn't mean to let it flare like that, but he guessed he just got tired of listening to this guy talk despite him only saying a few sentences so far. "You're young, stupid, think you're on top of the world. I get it, you want to keep feeling that way, you got one of the most powerful gangs at your beck and call after all. But trust me, it won't last. Nothing good ever lasts, and I was _paid _to take guys down like you some times."

"A-assassin!" Rox exclaimed. "What, you here to kill me or something!?"

"Kill you? Hah, no." Marcus shook his head, and Rox tilted his in confusion. "Good to know you know what an assassin is though, so you get the danger here. You look like a guy who prefers shit straight up, am I right?" He asked, changing his manner of speech to appeal to the kids gang side.

"So what if I am?" Rox asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Great. So here is the choice _I_ am giving _you_." Marcus said as he flipped a knife in his hand, catching it by the blade. Rox's eyes locked on to it, wondering how he was able to draw it so quickly. "Work with my boss, and maybe you're gang won't go to shit once Huntsman start getting involved, or don't, and me and Grass here will kill everyone in this room and then make you the offer again. We might keep you alive then, but it depends on how much you piss me off." Marcus caught the blade by it's handle, and lazily pointed the tip of it toward Rox. "So, what'd ya say?"

Rox grit his teeth and clenched his fists angrily, his answer was written all over his face before he even opened his mouth. "You dare come into _my _base, and threaten _me_!?" He asked, pointing an accusing finger at Marcus and Emerald. "You little shits, assassins or not I won't let you get away with this! Maybe I'll just have to send your _boss _your heads as my answer this time." He grinned maniacally. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Boys!"

All the guards that were surrounding them, including Rox himself pointed their guns at them. Emerald cursed and drew her weapons, pointing them back at the gang members as she backed up against Marcus, who drew his gun as well and had it pointed directly at Rox himself.

"I am obligated to _highly _recommend that you reconsider this decision Rox!" Marcus exclaimed as he fumbled with his scroll in his off hand.

Rox smirked back, and snapped his fingers. "Kill them both."

At the same time, Marcus pressed a button that appeared on the center of his scroll, and the moment that Rox gave the order an explosion rocked the entire building. The lights shut off and quickly came the panicked shouting and reckless shooting as the guards lit up the entire center of the room. Rox shouted for them all to stop, and had one of the guards turn on a flashlight.

A white haired man was smiling at said guard as soon as he turned it on, that was the last thing he saw as Marcus wrapped his muscled arms around the man's throat and used him as a meat shield to block the bullets that came at them. Once they stopped to reload, Marcus killed the body forward and knocked one of them down. Emerald used the cover of darkness and slashed out the back of two of their necks. They weren't expecting it and were focusing their aura toward Marcus, and both paid for it as they fell to the ground choking on their own blood. Three down in almost as many seconds, and more was quick to follow.

It was a slaughter, Rox soon realized as he heard the pained screams of his guards and friends. He heard blood splatters against the walls and the floor, and with every flash of a powerful hand cannon he got a glimpse of the white haired assassin. Each time he pulled the trigger, one of his men died, and after the last one fell. Marcus Black was staring at him next. Out of paralyzing fear, his legs gave out from underneath him and he crawled as far as the room would let him until his back came in contact with the throne that he had made for himself. The lights turned back on and two figures were right in front of him. He screamed in terror and huddled up in a little ball. Tears stung his eyes as they rolled down his cheeks.

"So, how about that offer?" Marcus asked him as he planted his foot beside him, leaning over him with a sick grin on his face. Part of his white hair was mixed with blood, and his associate grimaced and made an 'Eugh' sound as she flicked blood off of her hands. Rox whimpered.

"I-I get it man!" Rox cried. "T-tell her I'll work with her, I'll do it!"

"Oh? So much more submissive now." Marcus leaned in closer, his cruel smile grew even wider. He was having fun with this, it was a guilty pleasure of his. Making people who thought they were on top of the world come crashing down with the sudden reality of life. "You know, all of your buddies would still be alive right now if you just said no before, so why should I let you live now?"

"Marcus," Emerald warned. "You're going too far."

"I'm going just as far as I need too." Marcus snapped back. Emerald took a step back, submitting to his sudden snap in temper. "Answer the question, _buster._"

"I-I have money, men, drugs! I can provide your boss with whatever she needs. I'll be loyal to her!" The kid cried harder. "Just don't kill me man, please, I'm begging ya!"

"Always begging." Marcus snorted. "Why do people beg like that's going to save them? I don't get it, it just makes this whole thing annoying and makes me want to kill them even more. It's pathetic." He sighed as he drew his gun back from Rox's head, and flipped it back into its holster. Emerald sighed a sigh of relief, relieved that Marcus wasn't actually going to kill the guy.

Marcus threw a folded piece of paper into the terrified man's lap, and Rox looked up at him with questioning teary eyes. "Contact my boss with whatever she wrote down there, and remember." He flicked his knife in his face, causing the blood that was still on it to splatter. "Stay loyal, or I'll be giving you a visit late at night." He added as he turned around, took Emerald, and started walking away.

Nobody tried to stop them, and those who did were dealt with. They had a straight path to the exit, and they took it without any more problems. Emerald looked to the white haired man and wondered to herself. How could the man that has been bugging her so well these past couple of weeks be so cruel like that all of a sudden? Things didn't add up, and that made the man before her all the more dangerous. She couldn't trust him, not with her life at least.

Especially not when he had such a satisfied smile on his face the whole time as they made their way back to a safe house.

* * *

**Oh dear, Marcus, and you were making such progress. Pft, nah, not really. Marcus Black here is still the cruel assassin that he was made out to be, that hasn't changed. We'll just have to see how the rest of his story goes the rest of the way. This is still Volume 1 by the way, so we still have a ways to go. **

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far. **

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	7. Chapter 7

**And we're back. As I've said in my other stories, I have returned to College for yet another semester. So progress on stories are going to be slowed down a decent bit. I am sorry about this, but I can promise that I am not going to stop writing this story anytime soon. I will complete it, and if all goes to plan, it will be finished before I turn 21.**

**Maybe. I also now have a fish to take care of.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

_Things were going well, too well. I should have realized sooner. Soon enough, things started to get much more difficult…_

The headmaster of Beacon heard the bell in his elevator ding, and stopped what he was doing to see who it was visiting him in the middle of the free day. An eyebrow rose when he saw that it was Glynda Goodwitch, his trust advisor and friend whom he made his deputy heir of the school just in case anything would happen to him. Considering everything that was happening in Vale at the moment, it was a necessary precaution just in case a certain assassin caught him while he was sleeping in bed.

"Glynda, what brings you here?" He asked with a presumptuous grin. "Perhaps we have business?"

"We do," Glynda replied with a huff. "Qrow messaged me earlier, said that he was going to be here in a few short minutes. Knowing you two, I wanted to be here for when he did arrive. I wouldn't want to miss out on potentially important information."

"Glynda, please," Ozpin waved a hand toward her as he stood up from his desk. "Qrow is one of my most trusted, it is only natural that there are other things that friends would like to speak with each other in privacy. In this case, it just so happens to be in my office most of the time."

"With a beer bottle on the side as well, I presume."

"You shan't blame me, you know Qrow." Ozpin chuckled softly. He turned away from the professor and started heading toward a row of windows that have been installed in his office in the large glass panes that his office had to give him a view of all of Vale, and even some of Beacon beneath them. He unhooked the one in the middle, and slowly walked back toward his desk, to which he sat in his chair and then continued his conversation with Glynda as if he'd never gotten up. "Everyone has their way of coping and letting loose as they say. Alcoholic beverages just happens what makes Qrow happy."

"I would be sorry for the man you speak of if he existed." Glynda scoffed.

"That's cold Glynda, even for you," Ozpin said, feigning disgust.

"Alcohol is a depressant, need I say more?"

"No, no, of course not." Ozpin looked as though he was going to say more, but stopped in favor of looking out of the window he had just opened. The loud slicing noise of the wind was overshadowed by a hawking crow that now stood on the windowsill. The blackbird had red eyes, which distinguishes it from any other bird beside a certain raven, which looks very similar to the crow. "And here he is, have you enjoyed your flight?"

The crow hopped off the windowsill and transformed into a fully grown man in a fraction of a second. Qrow's red eyes flashed as he stretched his limbs in every which direction. Glynda was about to greet the man, only to wince and pinch her nose with her fingers at the piercing stench that the old Huntsman gave off. "Heh, it was alright, I guess," Qrow said, noticing Glynda's obvious disgust with him and doing what he does best and not caring in the slightest. "Going from Mistral to Vale in a few days is just tiring though, I haven't stopped except to sleep, and eating random worms and seeds was starting to get bored. I don't know how actual birds do it." He explained as he shut the window behind him with his foot.

"Perhaps your bird side is out of shape then, Qrow," Ozpin said as he stood up to greet him, shaking his hand and resting one hand on his shoulder with a friendly smile on his face.

"Well, it's not like I ever trained in my bird form." Qrow's eyes brightened as he thought of something. "You think I should start doing that?"

"As much as I would love to be forced to withstand this immature drabble," Glynda interrupted them before they could go too far off-topic. "We have important matters to discuss."

"Hm," Qrow hummed as he reached into his inner shirt pocket, pulling out a flask of his favorite alcohol and drinking a nice long swig of it in spite of Glynda's glaring eyes. "Yeah, guess we should get it out of the way quickly enough. Good thing I visited my nieces already."

Ozpin sighed through his nose and moved to stand by the windows as Qrow took to sitting on his desk, crossing one leg over the other as Glynda moved to stand on his other side. The friendly atmosphere quickly died down into a much more serious and concerning one. There was a very important issue to discuss, one namely involving a name that has cursed their thoughts for the past duration of Beacon's returning semester.

"You know why I have called you back here Qrow, I shall not sugarcoat it nor shall I treat you as a student fresh out of graduation," Ozpin said as he turned to look at him, a sorrowful look in his eyes as he did so. "Marcus Black has returned to Vale, and we worry that whatever it is he is up to will result in something very unsavory. I have chosen you to be the man to hunt the assassin down, draw him out, and terminate him."

Qrow, despite already figuring this out on his way there still took a few seconds to process what his old friend has said to him. "I figured that, yeah."

"If possible, his capture would also be very beneficial for us," Glynda added, Ozpin humming his approval. They have discussed ways on how they could potentially deal with Marcus Black, and all ways unfortunately lead to either termination, or capture and interrogation.

"Yeah, can't make any promises on that one," Qrow said with a scoff. "He was one of the ones who took down Amber a while back, if I hadn't gotten there in time, he probably wouldn't have wasted his time returning to Vale."

Ozpin and Glynda looked to each other. "Are you positive it was him? I know we've discussed this before, but it has been years since any of us has seen him in the flesh." Ozpin asked.

"Double positive, I am sure." Qrow reached up to scratch the area behind his ear. "If there's any man that would be able to take down a maiden, it'd be him. We all know how dangerous he is, and we should probably assume that he's probably shacked up with Salem at this point."

"Didn't you say that he hates working for others unless he is getting paid for it?" Glynda questioned.

"Yeah, well, any man can change his mind when the Queen of the fuckin' Grimm is the one who wants his loyalty." Qrow scowled. "Guys probably being forced to work with her. Not that that'll save him."

"Well, in any case, Marcus Black has returned. And he has been quite active in these recent times. Two of the most notorious gangs in Vale have been reported assisting the White Fang in their dust robberies. The Red Axe Gang, and the… Rock… Gunners." Ozpin sighed at the horrible name. "We fear that he is rounding up all of the criminal underworld to use them for some ultimate purpose. There have even been rumors of Roman Torchwick also working with them as well, which we can safely presume is part of Marcus' plan."

"A little late to reconcile with that guy, ain't it?" Qrow scoffed.

"Despite that, they seem to be working quite closely," Ozpin added.

"Great, so a master assassin is working with a master criminal and has been rounding up all the powerful gangs. If I didn't see him attacking Amber, I would have thought that he was doing this for shits and giggles." Qrow said. "Sounds like something he'd do just to piss us off."

"Qrow, take this seriously." Glynda scolded him. "We are asking you to take down an old friend-"

"He is _not _my friend!" Qrow nearly shouted as he raised his voice, startling both the headmaster and the professor with his sudden outburst. He took a moment to calm himself down and looked away from their eyes. "Not anymore, that bridge burned a long time ago."

"Of course, I apologize for the assumption," Glynda said with a bow of her head.

Qrow nodded his head and muttered an apology to the woman for raising his voice, then looked back to Ozpin with questioning eyes, expecting him to say more. "So, what else do you want to ask me before I go hunting a Huntsman hunter?"

"Well… there is one thing, if you don't mind me asking." Ozpin said.

"Ask away," Qrow waved him the okay.

"In the worst and most likely case scenario. _Can _you kill him, if you must?" Ozpin asked him, his voice was soft and every word was enunciated clearly so that Qrow heard and understood each word that was being said. Qrow looked up toward the ceiling and sighed to himself for what must have been the tenth time already, and nodded his head.

"His semblance is all but useless against me, but imagining us fighting now, it's going to be a bloody and close fight. But at the same time… I'm pretty sure I am the only one who can do it." Qrow explained. "Unless you think you can convince my sister to take a whack at him herself, of course."

"That is good to hear, but I was more referring to an… internal conflict of affairs." Ozpin elaborated.

"Ah…" Qrow looked up toward the ceiling again. "Well, like I said before, that bridge was burned a long time ago." As he said this, his free hand reached up to grab the tilted cross necklace that his partner gave him as a graduation gift. Summer's gift to him years ago. He gave it a few tentative rubs, and nodded his head again, shaking away memories that would never become reality. "I got this."

And he swore that he would put an end to Marcus' long reign of terror.

* * *

Ruby hopped up on top of her bed and hefted her bag into the space beside her. Her mind was still thinking at a million miles a second, her uncle Qrow visited her and her sister not too long ago after all. It was so cool of him to do that! She told him about how headmaster Ozpin decided to let her in Beacon two years early, and explained everything that had happened the night of the robbery that she'd thwarted. Only to then realize her mistake when she remembered that Miss Goodwitch specifically told her _not _to tell anyone about the scary assassin man that she was warned about. Qrow was cool though, he laughed about it, scolded her for putting herself in danger, and then went on his way towards the Beacon tower.

But she couldn't stop getting this sinking feeling her stomach. Over the past few weeks, the news has been littered with updates on White Fang attacks, increased and decreased gang activities in certain parts of Vale, and what got to her the most was a sighting of Marcus Black walking freely in the streets of Vale. They had a picture of the man up on the screen in the cafeteria when he was still a student at Beacon. She found it sad when she looked at that picture, even though he was smiling so brightly, looked like a perfectly sane person, and must have had a team of his own. How could everything go so wrong? Now he was a criminal, and worse, a criminal who kills people for money.

"You okay, sis?" Yang asked her as she climbed up onto her bed beside her, a silly grin stretched across her face. "You look like you just found a rusty spot on Crescent Rose."

"It's not that," Ruby whined, playfully elbowing her sister in the side as she rocked her legs back and forth.

"Then what is it? My big sister's senses are tingling you know, and I won't stop until you tell me." Her eyes flashed red for a second. "Is it because of a boy?"

"No!" Ruby was quick to deny, then made a disgusted sound. She had no time to worry about any boys, not when she had to focus on Beacon and Weiss pestering her to study all the time. "It's just… Uncle Qrow is back, and I'm happy about that…"

"But?" Yang added for her, dragging it on and implying to her that she should continue.

"But…" Ruby relented. "I'm just worried he's going to be sent after that guy we keep getting warned about on the news."

"That Marcus guy from that robbery?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow, and quickly put the pieces together to understand what her younger sister was so worried about. "Ah… you're worried that Qrow is going to get hurt fighting this guy, is that right?"

"Mhm…" Ruby nodded her head meekly. "Miss Goodwitch and the headmaster were so insistent to warn me about him, saying how he is so dangerous and has killed even fully trained Huntsman. They told me the answer to the question, 'who hunts the Huntsmen?' and it scared me. I don't want Uncle Qrow to get caught up in that."

Yang knew where she was coming from, though she felt like she figured it out earlier than she did. It made sense when she thought about it. All this news about one dangerous man, and then her uncle, who is also a renowned Huntsman, is suddenly called back to Vale? She knew it was fishy the moment she puts her mind to it. Qrow was so busy with missions that he'd hardly have any time to spend idling about with his nieces. He was here for a purpose, or in this case, a mission.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much." Yang started, wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulders and pulling her in. "Qrow is a badass, remember? He trained you how to use a scythe, and we've never seen him beaten before! He keeps telling us that the only person who can beat him was his sister, and since she's in wherever, there's nobody around that can stop him."

Ruby giggled when Yang held her tighter, and tickled her side with her free hand. "You think so?" She asked her, like the little naive and idealistic girl that she was.

"Yeah! I mean, if an assassin hunts the huntsman, wouldn't it work the other way around too?" Yang added. "The bad guys never win, if they did, then the Grimm would rule the world already."

"Yeah… you're right." Ruby said with a small smile, trusting her completely. "Uncle Qrow will be fine."

"Exactly." Yang ruffled her hair, which earned a deep pout from her little sister as she wrestled with her arm to get it off.

"I'm _saying _that perhaps you should be open-minded to the Faunus' cause."

"I've been nothing but! It is not my fault that they still choose to put all of their problems on my family and me!"

Weiss and Blake ruined their moment with their still ongoing argument. They didn't know how the managed to miss it before, but now things were starting to get heated, Blake and Weiss stood against each other with red angry faces and glaring eyes. It didn't take long for Yang and Ruby to realize that these two were going to keep going with no signs of stopping. It went from bickering, arguing, to nearly full-blown shouting at each other.

"Oh no…" Ruby hopped off her bed, trying to play the role of mediator.

Yang sighed and went down to help her. So much for Team RWBY's day off.

* * *

The sweat off of Marcus' body splashed onto the floor as he threw constant fists and kicks in nearly all directions. Using a practiced technique where he imagined an opponent equal to or better than him, and fought against that opponent. This time, it was an opponent who was just as good at close-quarters combat as he was. Which required him to train much harder than he usually did, and his older body was thankfully still up for the challenge. When he was done with the third bout, he took off his shirt and threw it to the side, opting to rest for a bit and drink some water. His aura would do the rest.

"You've been going at it for a while now, finally done?" Emerald asked as she read a book in the corner of the enlarged training room that the White Fang 'lent' them. They sorta decided to give it to them once a known lethal assassin walking into their makeshift training room.

"Not yet," Marcus said after a deep calming breath. "Since I've been getting a little more popular recently, I figured that I would try to keep myself in shape. Never know when a hunter or two get an order to take me down."

"Well, it's like you said. You were just walking around. That girl and professor from Beacon saw you at that robbery weeks back, and with you being seen taking down the maiden it was only a matter of time before they figured you out." Emerald explained needlessly.

"I'm more surprised with how long it took," Marcus said. "I mean, it's been weeks. What were they waiting for? Me to assassinate a council member? Hah, that would have caught their attention a lot faster." His muscles glistened in the light with the sheen of sweat he had on his body. The life of hardship he lead earned him such a body, and it would take months of remaining inactive for him to lose this physique and the strength that came with it. Strength that some Huntsman and Huntresses would only dream of. In his eyes, at least.

"You're worried that these Huntsman are going to be too tough for you?" Emerald asked, knowing what she was doing and playing on his pride. Marcus scowled at her.

"No, there's only a scarce few amount of people in the world that can make me scared, and the one on the top of that list is across the world," Marcus said as he stood back up and picked up his shirt, throwing it back over his head and on his body. "Unless they come at me all at once while I'm taking a shit, I'll be fine."

"Is that so?" Not Emerald questioned him. Marcus' eyes went wide with surprise as he turned to look at the woman who said those words. He didn't even sense her walk into the room, Cinder looked at him with those yellow-orange eyes of hers, smiling seductively as she usually does while she walked into the main training area. "I happen to be quite worried you know, they seem to think that you're the one running everything here." She laughed, apparently amused. "Can you deal with the potential threat of hunters on the usual? I predict that they'd send one at first, and after they die, they'll start to send more and more."

"I can take care of myself," Marcus claimed, a cocky smirk breaking through the stone-carved face he had put on. "I've had my fair share of run-ins with them before."

"As I already know." Cinder said as she walked around him, he turned to keep his eyes on her in case she tried anything. She had her weapons already summoned and were holstered at each hip. As they turned he could see Emerald in the background watching with a close eye, and it looked like she knew what was about to go down already. Marcus frowned and placed a hand on one of his knives holstered into his pants, ready to draw it at a moment's notice just in case she tried anything. "Though, I wonder the same for myself at times. Besides the little scuffle I had with the professor from Beacon during that faux robbery, can _I _deal with Huntsman?"

"I'd say yes but I feel like there is a deeper meaning to that question," Marcus replied.

"You would be correct," Cinder slowly drew her weapons. "What better way to test myself than to spar against one such as yourself?" She said, flourishing her weapons and taking a stance in front of him. As he was now, he was slightly winded from his training, but somehow he knew that Cinder would take that into account. She wasn't going to kill him just yet, if she was then she wouldn't make such a show of it.

"Well, are you up for the challenge?" She asked him next when he didn't make any motion or response. "I won't even use my semblance, it would seem pointless to do so against you anyhow." She added in an attempt to make things even the slightest easier for him to decide what to do. Emerald leaned in with her elbows on her knees, intent on seeing how this all panned out.

"I guess I'll have to be." Marcus submitted with a roll of his shoulders, taking out his hand cannon in one hand and a knife in a backhand grip on the other. Him against Cinder, it wasn't a matchup he'd always think about. In the beginning months ago he used to run those scenarios in his head all the time in preparation of his old plan to ditch them and run off to some unknown end of the world. The woman before him looked like a young woman, who might have been weaker than most men, but in this world, you had to know better than that. Cinder was as dangerous as he was, if not more with those magical fire powers of hers. Before when she wasn't the maiden, he was confident that he could have defeated her, but if she used her powers against him, he wasn't confident in being able to win, more like running away would be a more valuable option.

Cinder stood before him in a stance and expected him to be the first to attack. Marcus, still unsure of how intense this spar was going to be because of the lack of rules being said, decided to take the back foot and hold a more defensive stance. She raised an eyebrow, and circled him as a predator would its prey. Marcus remained steadfast, turning with her every second of the way. Emerald stopped what she was doing and watched from the sidelines, he could sense her red eyes observing and analyzing every little movement that each of them made.

After about a minute of circling each other Cinder finally seemed to give up on waiting for Marcus to attack, and dove in with a mirage of circular angled slashes that forced Marcus to hastily block with the dull side of his knife. Blocking it with a flash of sparks that cut a millimeter or two into his blade. He pushed open her attack and moved in close to counter, Cinder, however, twisted to her left and bent her knees until her chest was nearly on the ground, and twisted again to get away from the man. Bringing everything back to square one.

Marcus smirked at her when Cinder noticed that a bit of her sleeve was cut through, revealing cream pale skin that lies underneath, but that smirk was washed away as he realized that he had a cut of his own on his pants. It didn't go all the way through, but that exchange told him that Cinder was just as fast as him, at least when they were testing the waters. To spice things up, Marcus swapped hands with his weapons, throwing his firearm and knife into the air at the same time and catching them with different hands, and immediately went on the attack.

He fired his weapon three times, watching carefully as Cinder parried two bullets with one of her swords and leaned to the left to dodge the last one. He was in her guard by the time the third bullet reached her, and slashed upward in a reverse grip. It was parried by Cinder's second sword, and he allowed the knife to be blown out of his grip. Cinder, in her seconds of confusion, didn't notice how he caught it again with his other hand — Him holstering his hand cannon as he made his way to her — only to catch her off guard while she was focused on the sharper and more deadly weapon as a fist connected with her cheek. Aura flared and she refused to stagger. Opting to instead move on the offensive instead of moving back to give the assassin what he wanted; To make her panic and make a mistake.

Marcus' small knife was a deadly weapon, but mostly in the shadows. Cinder's dual swords were much more versatile, and they were just short enough that even with his knife if he closed the distance she would still be able to at least fight back. He felt the metal within his blade vibrate each time Cinder parried or clashed it against his. He knew that this wasn't going to work, his blade was going to give out before he made any leeway. Going mostly off of instinct and his training to fight dirty, he let Cinder land a blow on him, pure white aura glowing in an 'X' formation right when Cinder slashed into him. Cinder then cried out as she felt his blade stab into her hip. If it weren't for her aura, her kidney would have been nearly cut in half and if she went without treatment she would slowly die.

They were both knocked back by the power of their strikes. Both panting for breath. Their bout has only gone on for just about two minutes, but most serious fights shouldn't last that long. All the moving, thinking, and knowing just how dangerous the other was had them both working hard in more than just a physical way.

"You know what?" Cinder said, keeping one sword pointed at him. "Let's up the stakes, I don't think you are going all out, and I know _just _the thing that would motivate you."

"Is that so?" Marcus asked, smirking at her. "Go right ahead, try me."

"Freedom." Cinder said, shocking both him and Emerald. "If you beat me here and now, then I will release you from the contract, and allow you to leave us peacefully."

"Why would you offer me something like that?" Marcus asked, immediately suspicious. "What's the catch, what happens if you win?"

Cinder's smirk was ever-present. "If _I _win, then you will meet the one that I call a mentor. You see, I rely on your loyalty as much as you rely on your nonexistent friends you watch your back." Ouch, that one stung a little. "If I win here, you will speak with Salem, and you _will _dedicate your loyalty to her and I. That, is the _catch_."

Marcus was paranoid to begin with, and worried on top of that. Freedom. Something he has strived for, for most of his life. The worst thing about it was that he'd most likely never be free, the assassins would kill hunting him, hunters would keep hunting him, and he'd be alone. But somehow, that seemed more appealing than walking around in a city full of both that would be happy to collect on the bounty on his head.

"Sounds like a deal then," Marcus decided as he tensed his muscles.

Cinder was apparently satisfied with his decision. "Seems like it.

There was no halt to the fighting as Cinder decided not to let either of them get any more moments to breathe. Marcus kept a calm face and was content to do battle with Cinder in the middle of the floor.

A straight five minutes of attacking, defending, countering, parrying, and all other fighting tactics were used in a very small amount of time with no time between intervals and unspoken turns. There was not a second that went by where neither Marcus or Cinder were moving, and Emerald watched with impressed eyes as the older man kept up with Cinder quite well, and evenly traded with her at every turn, even taking the advantage at some points. Cinder's smile was long gone, and was replaced by labored pants as her red face dripping with sweat. Marcus' hair felt slick with the smelly substance as well, and some of his bangs fell over his eyes in the process. Despite the physical drawbacks of their fighting, they still had plenty of stamina within their bodies to keep this match going for possibly hours. They were both Huntsman class fighters, above them with the display of skill, strength, and the speed at which they were fighting. No average Huntsman would be able to hope to defeat either of them, and where Emerald was so sure in knowing who was going to win this 'sparring' match, she was no longer as sure. It was anyone's game at this point.

Marcus stepped in and Cinder backed up with a wide horizontal cross slash with both swords that very nearly cut the assassins head off. He leaned back to dodge it and watched as an inch of his hair was sliced off in the process. However, he kept his momentum moving forward and slammed the pommel of his blade into Cinder's stomach, while at the same time shooting down at her foot. The bullet missed, but the natural reaction was something that Cinder would have never been able to resist. She flinched and lost her balance. Marcus' full weight slammed into her midsection and he carried her forward a few feet before letting them both fall to the ground.

He had the obvious advantage in strength and weight as he toppled over her, slamming one of his metal feet into Cinder's left hand, catching her other by the wrist and holding that down, and then pressed the barrel of his gun into the side of her head. Cinder struggled for a few seconds before Marcus issued out a warning through his breaths. She then stared at him with wide eyes for a few moments before a satisfied smirk washed over her face.

"Impressive," She whispered to him, their faces a very small foot apart. "You caught me off guard and are now in a position to finish me off. You certainly don't leave your women unsatisfied."

Marcus scoffed. "'Course not, I'd never think of committing such a heinous crime." He tightened his grip when Cinder tried to wrestle her way out of her disadvantageous position. Keeping her smile on the entire time even as Marcus practically dug the barrel of his gun into her temple. "Nice try," He commented, glaring at his contractor with deep onyx eyes. Though for some reason, he felt like he was sweating even more, and had to take in deeper and more frequent breaths into his lungs so that he could feel his body. He grit his teeth and pushed through it however, determined to keep his win.

"I wonder," The woman underneath him cooed as she craned her neck up to look him directly in the eyes. "You are in a position to kill me right now, all you need to do is pull the trigger and I might be too slow to activate my aura in time. I'd be dead and Emerald isn't good enough to stop you, and I doubt that the White Fang would even try. You could set yourself free right now, Marcus Black. Will you?"

It was a trap within a trap if he'd ever seen one before. Marcus already thought of that, and while other men might have been fooled by her bluff, he knew where she was going with this. There was still the concern of whatever the hell she put in him after she picked him up after _that _day. Even if he did somehow manage to kill her now, and Emerald after that, there'd still be her hidden allies that she has alluded to, and this Grimm Queen as well. He'd never get far, and they both knew that.

"Nope." He said, holstering his pistol as he did so. "There's an unspoken rule among us assassins, and that is to _not _kill the ones paying you. Besides, I already am free." He gestured to his position on top of her. "I already won."

"Are you so sure about that?" Cinder asked as one of her eyes sparked into flames. Marcus had just about one second to react, and wasn't able to in time as Cinder's body exploded with flames. Sending him flying up into the ceiling, bouncing off, then slamming back into the ground with enough force that made his left arm feel like it was broken. Aura washed over his body and hid the pain away from his mind.

That didn't stop him from feeling a spike of fear as Cinder hovered a few inches off of the ground with her hands burning with fire. She was using that power that she'd stolen, and Marcus made the stupid mistake in thinking that she was going to hold back on using that power. He laughed bitterly as he recalled her earlier words. _I won't even use my semblance… _She'd never said anything about not using the powers of the fall maiden.

"Because it seems to me that we are just now getting started." She said as she touched down on the ground. She no longer had a need for her swords, letting them burn away into nothing but flakes of dust as the flames flickered and snapped around her. Marcus stood up and aimed his gun at her, emptying the mag into her overwhelmingly powerful aura. Every last bullet pinged off that aura, and melted into liquid metal before they even hit the ground.

Marcus laughed, there went his chances of winning. He should have taken her up on that suggestion to off her right then and there, because now, Cinder was the one with the advantage.

She made that ever more clear to him as she attacked him with ruthless power. He defended himself the best he could, dodging what he could dodge and trying to keep space. Constantly firing his pistol at her whenever he could. His knives were practically useless against her as she was now, but he tried to throw them into her anyway. All she needed to do was wave her hand, and a blast of wind had him and his blades flying back into the wall. He coughed and landed on all fours, just narrowly dodging the fireball that would have scorched his back had he remained there a second longer.

The next two minutes played out with a frantic game of keep away, a game that Marcus could not hold onto for long. Cinder seemed to be mostly toying with him anyway. She was smart. She tired him out first with old fashioned combat, and even let him think that he won the fight. Now, he was even more tired, low on aura, and was sweating profusely because of the heat while Cinder seemingly had enough aura for a whole school of Huntsman.

After another blast of air that knocked him on his back, he was too slow to recover that time. When he opened his eyes, Cinder was on top of him. Practically straddling him as she pinned his arms next to his head like a schoolyard bully would do to some other kid weaker than them. He tried pushing back, and was able to get his hands off the ground and very nearly got out, but Cinder pumped more aura into her muscles and forced them back down.

"I win." Cinder proclaimed in an almost teasing tone.

Marcus shut his eyes and accepted his defeat. It wasn't often that he lost, and the last time a person even came close to defeating him was months ago. Who now laid beneath the dirt in a shallow grave in front of a burnt down house.

Cinder's hot breath rolled across his face as she leaned down, her lower body pushing and grinding against him as she got a better look into his eyes. He was still panting heavily, and now his body was reacting to her movements mostly against his will. And she knew exactly what she was doing, and smirked at him when she felt his body's reaction. She then leaned back and cupped his cheek with a flaming hand. His skin turned red upon contact, and he felt his aura flicker and come close to going out completely. Cinder stood up before it did, and offered him a hand with the same hand that she used to almost burn his face.

He took it against his better judgment, and favored his left arm as he did so. The pain coming back to him as he finally relaxed his body and aura.

"Do take care of yourself, Marcus Black." Cinder told him as she caressed his cheek, he let it happen even though mentally he wanted to attack her for it. "We have a long road ahead of ourselves, after all."

She turned away from him, tracing her fingers along his jawline as she walked away with a swing to her hips. Marcus forced himself to look away, and half-limped his way back to a smug-looking yet impressed Emerald.

"You did well. I'm surprised that you managed to last that long against her." She said as he more fell into a sitting position than sit into it.

Slowly, Marcus nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

Almost an hour later when he knew that he was alone and Emerald wasn't around, Marcus limped his way into the bathroom and removed his shirt. He winced as he felt around the many light bruises he had on his body, but didn't complain about it since he knew that it could have been a lot worse. Today he was delivered a crushing defeat by the hands of Cinder, and as he looked at himself in the mirror and began to shave the white facial hair that has been growing on his face for the past few weeks to try to make himself look at least a little different, he thought about his situation.

He was going to meet this 'Salem' now, pretty soon he'd guess as well. The Queen of the Grimm, Cinder's mentor, and all that nonsense. Even with the display of control Cinder had over the Grimm when they recruited Adam and his White Fang he had his doubts on this Queen's existence, but now he kept asking himself the same question.

What if it was real? What if Salem really existed?

Then he'd been working not just against Vale, but all of humanity. Grimm was the enemy to all people, faunus and human alike. Black, white, yellow or whatever color someone was, as long as you had a soul, a Grimm would try to destroy you. And in that case, as long as he kept working with Cinder, he'd also be working with the Grimm.

One of the burn wounds on his chest had him clenching his fist at a thought. "Dammit." He cursed before he started to bandaged what needed to be bandaged, and then retired himself to a bed to let his body rest and recover for the night. There was still much to do, and he had the second to last name to cross off his list pretty soon.

He'd like to have all his aura back by the time he and Emerald went on another _midnight walk_.

* * *

**Wow, I managed to write this all and **_**not **_**go over my mental word limit of 7k words each chapter. Go me, it's not often that I actually manage to do that. As you can see here, things are beginning to change. It should be obvious, but I have been making up a lot of this stuff as a sort of headcanon for what Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald did in volume one. It will be over soon though, and thankfully things will actually get much easier when I get to the stuff that we do know about Mercury and Emerald in Volume two. **

**Wish me luck, much more planning to be done. Because after Volume 2… things get a little more intense.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here we go again with another chapter of this story. I was doing some thinking, and internet browsing, and wow, almost no one really talks about Marcus or even Mercury's past. Of course there's a few fanfics here and there that feature the two characters, but I definitely hope that maybe I can put in some influence to make the Blacks family history a little more popular. Even if this is all just headcanon that I am making up completely. **

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

_Surprise, surprise… Should have expected it really, when a little birdy started becoming a thorn in my side…_

Day's past ever since his sparring match against Cinder, and still he felt the burns of her attacks licking against his skin. The bruises were mostly gone, but the one on his chest stared back at him through the mirror with an almost taunting glare to it. It was slowly fading away, but it was certainly taking its damn time. Marcus scowled at himself in the mirror and pulled his shirt back down, and double-checked that all of the light tough leather armor pads stitched to his shirt were still in good enough shape. Once he felt satisfied, he let out a deep breath through his nose and turned around.

He felt his aura fill to the brim about a day ago. He could have regenerated it back faster, but he didn't trust the animals in the White Fang to actually give him proper treatment. So he let his body heal the old way, as an ex-assassin, he was trained to withstand pain so that he wouldn't be committed to a hospital. Because the moment he would get better there, he would be sent to the nearest maximum security prison. Or killed for his crimes, one of those was less intimidating than the other, and it just so happened to be the latter. One of the only things he was thankful for his dear late father teaching him was that. After a full day of letting his body rest and heal while staying hydrated. Despite some burning sensations in his muscles and the bruise on his chest, he would be okay to fight. Not necessarily at a hundred percent at the moment, but around ninety percent or so from what he could mentally gauge.

Which was good enough to deal with the above-average huntsman that might get in his way, and with Emerald by his side he could easily take on someone better. The only time it would become a problem is if there were too many of them, but he doubted that any gangs in this shithole city had anyone good enough to even stand up to a Beacon student. He could count on one and a half hands how many he knew of that could take on a Beacon student without any issue.

Today's hunt- oh, sorry, _recruitment_ run, is for an actually okay named gang called 'The Black Withers'. He liked that name, and liked to think that it was named after him, no matter how overly optimistic that may be. The leader of this wonderfully named gang was a faunus woman named Tenne Venen, the first name which he thought could be pronounced like the number ten or like 'Ten-ay'. Ten was easier though, so he would go with that for now. From what Cinder told him, Tenne was the leader of one of the more powerful gangs, and the last one who wasn't roped into Roman's little group of fun. She had weapons, her men were disciplined, and she didn't take shit without giving some back herself. But the best thing — or worst, considering what their plans were — about her was that she seemed to actually have a brain in between those ears of hers.

Hopefully, that meant she wouldn't be like the last idiot who lost almost all of his best men trying to kill him and Emerald. Hah, he heard that sometimes during his recovery Cinder went to go pay the kid a visit, and once he realized that she was his boss he went down to his knees and pledged himself to her immediately. Rumour has it that Cinder was there to kill him and replace him with someone smarter, but after that little display she decided to give him another chance. Which was good, he figured.

He wasn't going to hold his breath though, and prepared for a fight just in case Tenne decided to be stupid. However, he would need to be a little more careful tonight. His face was known and at this point, Ozpin should definitely know that he is here back in Vale, and the old man wouldn't wait to see what he was going to do. The headmaster definitely had a least a few huntsman after him, and the police would keep an eye out for a head full of white hair.

Despite that, he needed to go out anyway. Since his contract was extended by an unknown amount of time, he would need to keep up this winning streak to stay on Cinder's good side. So when he saw the time tick down to one in the morning, he made his way to Emerald who was sitting down on her bed reading some stupid book she must have found in the trash somewhere and took it out of her hands.

"Hey! I was reading that asshole." Emerald complained when he threw it across the room.

"You can read that shit later, it's time to go for another moonlit stroll," Marcus replied, gesturing for her to go collect her weapons. Emerald did so without arguing once she realized that his interrupting was for a mission, but she made sure to glare at him for a few moments as she strapped her weapons to her lower back and filled up on ammo. He couldn't care less for it and leaned against a wall, waiting for her to finish preparing her gear and such.

"Where are we going then?" She asked finally once she loaded both of her weapons with live dust rounds.

Marcus looked to her from the corner of his eyes. "Bit of a trip tonight, we're going west between the central and industrial districts. Junior ever so helpfully provided me with an address, so that makes things easier for us. Let's see here…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled ball of paper, straightening it out obnoxiously as he tried to make out the worst. "134, Red street."

"Let's go then. I want to get back to that book, I just made it to a good part before you rudely interrupted me." Emerald said as she walked to the exit to the hideout they were held up in.

"Oh please, you'll have plenty of time to fantasize with whatever you're reading once you sneak your way into Beacon with Cinder," Marcus said as he pushed off the wall and left the building. "What are you reading anyway?"

Emerald refused to look at him.

"Wow, is it porn?"

"No!" Emerald snapped. "Ugh, if you must have more ammo to make fun of me with, I am reading an old fairy tale. It's called 'The Lady in the Tower'."

"Pfft," Out of the very small amount of respect he had for Emerald, he didn't let himself burst out with laughter. "Okay, not as embarrassing as I thought it'd be." He covered his mouth and disguised a chuckle for a cough.

"Shut up, damn old man..."

"For the record, I don't need ammo to make fun of you with," Marcus said as they disappeared into the darkness of the abandoned street where their hideout was located. "Remember that, Grass."

"Ugh…"

* * *

Sneaking their way through the alleys and old hidden passageways that Marcus knew about, the short journey to Red Street wasn't all that concerning. The cops weren't looking in the right places, and with Emeralds semblance she was able to hide his head of white hair by making some of the cops looking at them see a head of black hair instead, or whatever color that she actually used. Could have been a hot pink for all he knew. Though her semblance had limits, limits that forced her to only be able to use it on one person at a time. It would have been so much more convenient if those limits could be improved or broken through, but alas, they had to make do with what they had. Luckily she only had to use it a few times, and only because Marcus decided that they would take a few risky shortcuts. Though he argued that trough most of them there was a bird cawing at them as they invaded its supposed territory.

And a few risky shortcuts later, here they were walking on the darker side of the road on the sidewalk. Calmly making their way to where the Black Withers were holding up in.

"You know," Marcus started after looking around the street. "For a road called Red Street, there's much red to be seen."

"Is that seriously what is at the front of your mind right now?" Emerald asked, clearly annoyed.

"Sure," Marcus shrugged, not seeing any issue with his habits. "Not like it's hard to talk to these gangs anyway. I was sort of in a secret underground assassin organization too. So keep in mind that I _might _have some knowledge on how to talk and deal with people."

"And yet you failed to win Rox over without terrorizing him." Emerald sniped.

"That is how you deal with the arrogant and annoying types," Marcus argued. "We would have been there all night trying to get the idiot to see reason, that is if he didn't try to kill us before we could anyway. Trust me, we saved a lot of time by doing what we did."

"Whatever you say," Emerald said, clearly showing just how unconvinced she really was. "We're close, just a few more buildings down and we're there."

"Fun," Marcus said unenthusiastically as he took his hands out of his pockets. A small gesture to the average eye, and probably unimportant. But Emerald knew that it meant that he was readying himself just in case things headed south like it did at Rox's place. The man was as dangerous unarmed as he was with a knife after all. Sometimes she wondered why he even used a knife when he was that good close quarters, and the one time she actually asked, he told her that the most dangerous weapon is the one you don't see coming. Which made sense, or would have made sense if Marcus actually tried to hide his knives. The old man practically had it on display for all to see if one simply looked for them.

"Hey there!" Marcus called out as a pair of men, one human and the other obviously faunus, both dressed in black and brown matching outfits came out of the building marked with 134. The two men both looked to each other then back to Marcus. Their clothing wasn't too glamorous, but it looked better than most other gangs. At least it wasn't the idiotic wear that Junior's goons wore all the time. "Just in time too, I was just thinking about knocking on that door you just came out of."

"Can we help you, sir?" One of the men asked, his reptilian scaled face shifting as he turned his head to directly face Marcus.

"Yes, yes you can," Marcus said, all smiles and friendly vibes. Completely uncharacteristic in Emerald's eyes. "You see, we have an appointment for the woman in charge, if you catch my drift." He winked at them. "Mind showing us the way? I easily get lost sometimes."

The two men eyed both Marcus and Emerald up and down, then leaned toward each other to conversate. Marcus focused his hearing forward to try and hear what they were mumbling, but even then he could only hear so much. All he could hear from them was something about Roman sending them a message about their arrival earlier, just like Marcus asked of him before he got ready to get here.

"He's Marcus Black?" The faunus man asked his co-worker, who nodded his head in nervous confirmation. Marcus raised an eyebrow, apparently his fame has stretched even here as well. Even the gangs wanted to watch out for him.

"Yes, you two do seem to have an appointment with our leader." The faunus started as his partner spoke into a scroll a few feet behind him. "If you could follow me, I'll take you right to her."

Marcus hummed an impressed tone. That was certainly a turn of events he didn't entirely expect. Actually being let in right away? Cinder's information was right, these guys were definitely the smarter ones of the bunch. So far at least. It wasn't like they had a whole lot of competition when it came to Rox and Junior as their only challengers.

"Awesome, c'mon Grass, let's go say hi to Miss Venen shall we?" Marcus said as he followed the faunus inside, keeping an eye on the human as he stayed behind and continued muttering into his scroll. He was telling the entire hive about their arrival, which could be safely assumed. Just in case, Marcus crossed his arms as they walked, letting one of his hands rest on the hilt of a knife in a holster on his upper left lat.

Emerald didn't even react to her little nickname this time, she has since gotten used — or at least over the name that Marcus called her by from time to time, and instead, she focused on the same thing he was currently doing. Which was watching for any potential escapes routes or vantage points. Anyway they could use to get out of there just in case things did get messy. As they walked by, they saw how this faux disguise of a hotel building was really an operational base for The Black Withers. Every room had a few men in it, and there were even some civilians in there as well, helping themselves to what had to be either really expensive or really cheap rooms. Every few doors or so, banging and moaning could be heard through one of the doors. Which was just delightful.

They were being watched with their every step, and when there wasn't a naked eye watching, there were cameras keeping track of them. The reptile faunus kept on leading them until they got to an elevator that brought them up to the top floor, the one directly below the roof itself and into the staff only area. Here was where things got a little more 'gang' like. Some rooms were filled with all kinds of drugs, and some were storage for lien and stolen goods. Others had kitchens and washrooms. One thing was for sure, these people were well organized, pretty much on par with Roman's people. Marcus hasn't been at one of his hideouts for a long time, but he knew that it had to be like this, or better. The Black Withers were doing really well at hiding in plain sight.

"Right this way, Mister Black." The black wither before him directed, standing in front of a door with two guards stationed in front of it. "Miss Venen is right through there, she has been expecting your arrival."

"Cool." Marcus nodded his head, looking to Emerald from the corner of his eye. She nodded back to him. They were both ready. "We can go right in?"

"You can. Miss Venen was quite clear on her orders. She only wants to speak to you." The faunus corrected.

Marcus narrowed his eyes at the man, clearly showing his distrust. Behind him, Emerald shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling like she was being watched to an even more uncomfortable degree.

"She comes with me." Marcus pushed.

"Our leader will refuse to speak to you unless you are alone. She is alone in there as well, she wishes to speak to you without any need to keep things hidden." The faunus flicked his chin toward Emerald. Who looked even more nervous. "I promise you that she will not be touched."

"Your promises mean shit to me," Marcus replied. "My boss gave me the unfortunate responsibility of having to deal with her green-haired ass, and I'll be damned before I come out that door and see her _not _where I left her. It wouldn't be good for business you see."

"Just go," Emerald said before the faunus could say anything in return. "I'll be fine. If they try anything, you know what to do."

Marcus looked into the girl's red eyes, and after a few seconds, he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, just don't haunt me if they end up slitting your throat." He said as he walked up to the two guards. They stood in his way for a moment, but a voice on the other side of the door told them to let him in. So they stepped aside and let him through.

"Well, well, well," Marcus snickered as soon as he opened the door. "I can already see why you're the boss."

The door shut behind him, and Emerald was left alone. She looked around for a few moments, then opted to move to the wall and put her back to it. That way she wouldn't have anyone coming for her from behind.

"Charming fellow, is he?" The same faunus from before asked her, taking the spot beside her.

Emerald sighed, obviously agitated. But if he wanted to potentially try to distract her, she would let him play that game and think he was in control.

"Not even close…"

* * *

"Marcus Black himself," The snake faunus greeted him with a fanged smile and while dragging her S's out like how a snake would hiss. Her skin was a light green shade in color and looked shiny with each scale that protruded through her skin, with yellow reptilian slit eyes to match. She was wearing a similar outfit to the rest of her gang. Though hers was different. Tenne had a brown corset that reached around her neck and exposed her shoulders, and her pants were pitch black but ripped in places where the scales on her legs cut through the threads. She had two silver bracelets on each wrist and a black necklace with an upside-down cross hanging from it. To complete her look, she had long black hair that flowed down over her shoulders and covered part of her face. "What a delight to finally meet you. I have heard that you have been quite busy in these past few months. How has that been for you?" As Tenne spoke her thin pink tongue slithered out each time she said a word that had an S in it. Marcus raised an eyebrow once he noticed that, but wasn't too bothered by it. Sure, it was a little nasty, but at least she wasn't trying to kill him.

"Ah, you know. Business as usual." He replied, helping himself to the extra seat that was placed across from Tenne's. There was a desk in the corner of the room, and a bed in the other. So this must have been where the leader of the Black Wither's primarily worked from. Interesting, Marcus would have to remember that.

"It seems so. Your reputation precedes you, I can certainly tell just by looking at you that you are a dangerous man. But I would ask you to please let go of your knife." Marcus widened his eyes, he could have sworn he was being sneaky there. Sitting down with his arms crossed and one leg raised over the other. "I would not have let you get this far if I intended to do you any harm."

"Funny, that's almost the same thing the last guy told me." Marcus lied, but referred to Rox nonetheless.

"As confident as I am in my own abilities to stand against huntsman if I have too, I am not very confident in fighting you one on one." Tenne chuckled. "I won't make the same mistake that fool Rox of the Rock Hard Gunners made. Unlike him, I value the lives of my men, as well as my own."

"Hmph." Marcus resigned and took his arms away from his chest. Letting them rest on the armrests beside him and letting Tenne get what she wanted. That little tongue of hers must have been made out of silver, because she successfully managed to convince him that she wasn't going to try and attack him.

"Great," Tenne leaned forward, resting her hands on one knee as she raised a leg over the other, mirroring his sitting posture. "Let's get right to business, shall we? I assume you, or your boss, wants our assistance in whatever it is you are planning?"

"That's why I'm here," Marcus confirmed. "Your people are smart, and they have a smart leader. Having you on our side would make things go more smoothly for both sides."

"And if I agree to your terms, what would your boss have need of me?" Tenne asked.

So she also knew that there was someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes. Interesting. "Your forces most likely. You're well organized, and you could probably organize hits and finish them with all your men escaping before the police even knew what was happening. That, and your resources. I assume you know that we are working with the White Fang as well."

"Ah, yes, the White Fang." Tenne smirked as she leaned back in her chair. "I used to be a part of them when they were non-violent. I left before Sienna Khan took over as leader."

Marcus narrowed his eyes slightly, but forced himself to relax. "And you don't have any plans of returning?"

"I see no reason too. I have both humans and faunus working for me, so as far as my battle for revolution for equality goes I have already won that war. Going back to them would be pointless, leaving everything behind would be stupid. I am happy where I am now, but I wouldn't say no with working with them temporarily." Tenne explained.

_This is going relatively well so far._ Marcus thought to himself. "Good to hear."

"I do have some questions however, I am not entirely against joining up with you and your large coalition. But before I do agree with anything, I must know what your end goal is."

And there it was. The catch to all this going smoothly. Of course, Marcus couldn't tell the truth and say that Cinder wanted to bring ruin to the city as a distraction for Beacon so she can sneak in there and steal back some magical ancient power that literally came straight out of a fairy tale. He could tell that Tenne wouldn't be the kind of person to be okay with that, just like most of the gangs. Which is why they were forced or scared into joining them. The Black Withers, however, wouldn't be so easy to scare into working with them. If they started to try, an all-out gang war would incite and spread across Vale. Attracting the attention of the police, and the huntsman. For once, violence wasn't the answer to this getting this gang to work with Cinder. He would need to use his skills of diplomacy. And lies mixed with truths.

"I can tell you some of it, but obviously I can't tell you all of it." Marcus started.

"Naturally." Tenne nodded her head in understanding and waved for Marcus to continue.

"Right off the bat, it does involve Beacon. Nothing too serious though, Cinder, my boss, wants something from them. Let's just call it… an invaluable artifact of sorts." And then here came the lies. "She wants the gangs all rallied up to form raids all around Vale, raids on banks, stores, restaurants. Pretty much she wants to use you all as one major distraction and cause chaos in the city to get Beacon mostly emptied out to try and deal with the issue."

"I see," Tenne said, deep in thought. "This would be bad for business, however, I trust in my men's ability to do what they must, but to cause untold damage to the city would make many of my _other _businesses lose customers."

"We know. Which is why we don't want you guys to actually do a whole lot of damage." Marcus countered. "Just to terrorize a whole shit ton of people. Get a little violent without the violence if you get what I mean. Of course, accidents happen and people are bound to get hurt here and there trying to be heroes like the idiots they are. But in the end, most everyone should get away with it. And let's say some of your customers are affected by these raids. They might be able to rely on _you _for some help, indebting themselves to you. Hell, if you're as good as Roman is you might be able to make yourself look like the heroes. Once we get what we want you guys are pretty much free to go and do whatever you want. Everyone gets what they want in the end."

"And what do _you _get out of it?" Tenne asked next.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I am asking what the great assassin Marcus Black gets out of all of this." Tenne clarified, leaning forward again and staring straight into his black eyes. "I have heard much about you. The killer of huntsman, betrayer of Beacon, kin slayer," She smirked when Marcus stopped smiling and darkened his glare. "And, of course, the most popular title: Master assassin. After all the money you must have gained, and your presumed freedom from the organization you worked with. What could a man like you possibly want from all this?"

"Freedom," Marcus answered without a second thought. And was quick to explain. "I am going to be stuck with my contractor for a while after our little Beacon heist. But after that, the organization, Beacon, anyone that may want me dead. I'm getting away from it all."

"Hah, the assassin getting sick of all the killing?" Tenne laughed. "How ironic."

Marcus shrugged, not caring for her words. "See it however you want. I may not look it, but I am getting old. One day I won't be able to move as fast or be as strong, and it could get me killed. Maybe I'll go dye my hair and change my name and live somewhere. Or maybe I'll go retire to Vacuo."

"No one cares to look for a person in Vacuo." Tenne said for him.

Marcus' smirk came back. "Exactly. So in a way, you're right. I am a little sick of this shit." He looked up to the ceiling and briefly reminisced in his past. "After reaching the top, there's nowhere else to climb. Y'know? I don't want to be one of the idiots who loses their balance and eventually falls off all the way down to hell."

"I see. A basic desire and one that I admit does surprise me but also something that I can understand." Tenne stood up, gesturing for Marcus to do the same and walked around the small table that was placed in between them to get to him. "Tell Miss Cinder that The Black Withers will do what she wants, as long as we get a fair cut."

Marcus held out a hand, not even bothering to try and make up a lie that would cover up the fact that Tenne and her gang wasn't going to be getting a cut of anything after they were done in Vale. "Then we can consider ourselves partners in crime?" He asked.

Tenne's scale-covered green hand slithered into his offered hand. It felt cold to the touch. "You can." She said, smiling up at him.

_That was easy enough_. Marcus thought to himself as they shook hands. There was no fighting, no killing, no reckless violence and some guy pissing his pants and begging to be spared. It seemed like he was worried about nothing. Now all that was left was going back to Cinder to tell her about yet another success, and for once he was proud of one of his accomplishments for her.

Destiny had something else in mind, however.

It happened in slow motion as one of the windows broke inward as something crashed through it. He was able to watch as Tenne's snake-like eyes widened with shock as Marcus yanked her forward and threw her toward the door he just came through, and tightened his eyes closed as tight as he possibly could as a loud bang and a flash of white filled up the entirety of the room.

"Fuck!" Marcus groaned as he rubbed at his eyes, his vision was full of blinding white light and he couldn't blink it away for the life of him, and on top of that his ears was ringing like a doorbell. But he found himself moving anyway, and a cold hand that was wrapped around his wrist and forearm and the next thing he knew he was _crashing _down to the floor to avoid gunfire.

"It's the police!" Marcus was somehow able to hear.

"How did they find us!?" Another shouted out.

Slowly Marcus was able to recover his eyesight and the blaring ringing in his ears began to subside. He pushed himself into cover and took out his pistol, covering his body with aura as a barrage of bullets flew over his head and all around him as a gunfight broke out suddenly.

"Marcus!" Emerald was at his side suddenly. "Can you see?"

Marcus opened his eyes, they were dilated but he could finally see again. Even though the ringing was still disorienting him somewhat. "Yeah, what the hell is happening Grass?" He asked as he looked around at the sudden display of carnage. He aimed his hand cannon at a lens flare through the doorway, killing a man as his bullet went straight through his eye. He took cover immediately after as bullets started flying to him the second the dead man's body hit the ground. "Were we being tailed?"

"Not that I know of," Emerald said as she took cover beside him.

"You weren't," The snake faunus called out to them from the other side of the hallway. The doors were literally ripped off their hinges and being used as covers. Apparently being made out of bulletproof material. "I had my men check while we were speaking, no one should have known you were going to be here tonight."

"Then how the fuck are we being shot at right now?" Marcus called back as he fired back at the intruders, who were now rappelling into the room he was just in with Tenne just a few moments ago. The entire hive was awake at this point, and there wasn't a second that went by where a gun wasn't fired.

"We will figure that out later!" Tenne shouted back. Two more hostiles moved around the corner with bulletproof riot shields, with other men behind them shooting over them. "For now, we shall retreat and abandon this building. There is little reason for us to fight for it, I have other bases scattered throughout the city. Everyone! Focus on covering the retreat now!" The leader of the Black Withers unveiled her weapon, which was a collapsible green spear with two blades on each end of the staff. She was trained to fight, that much was obvious to see as she deflected a barrage of bullets. "Marcus Black, will you and your ally assist me?"

"This would all be a waste of time if I said no…" Marcus said as he mentally cursed his luck. "C'mon Grass, let's show these idiots who's boss."

"I can't show myself." Emerald reminded him, hiding away in a separate room shrouded with darkness. "They can't find out who I am and that I'm working with you, I am supposed to infiltrate Beacon soon remember?" She whispered harshly at him.

"Shit… Okay, I have an idea then. But you are going to have to act really scared in order for it to work…"

"I already don't like this, but at this point I am down for anything."

* * *

Minutes passed, and the chaotic gunfight continued on nearly all floors. Marcus and Tenne sprinted down flights of stairs while holding back armored officers after giving Emerald a mask and sending her down a hidden path with a tracker that pointed to Marcus' scroll. They took the most obvious route themselves, which was down the most simple and busy flight of stairs that went all the way down to the ground floor. A whole squad of Vale's most experienced peacekeepers chased down after them. Not giving them a moments rest as they descended down the stairs. Despite the amount of bodies that must have been littering the stairs every time one of them tried to challenge Marcus, they just kept coming. They've been preparing for this for a long time evidently, and of course, they had to attack at the very night that Marcus and Emerald went to go for another midnight walk. Damn his luck...

"How many damn stairs does this fucking place have!?" Marcus asked Tenne as they kept moving. He could have sworn that this place wasn't built as high as these stairs suggested.

"We must keep moving Mister Black." Tenne replied as she descended halfway down the next flight of stairs before shooting back up, pushing the white-haired man back just before another hail fire bullets could rain down on them. "Damn, they attacked from the top and bottom of the building at the same time."

"Then let's get somewhere where we won't be pinched," Marcus said as he forced open a locked door by kicking it open.

"Wait! In there is-" He didn't listen to the snake faunus and dragged her into the room with him the moment he saw a man with kevlar plating and a helmet run up the last of the stairs looking him in the eyes for a moment before Marcus slammed the door shut. Watching as the lock hinged back into place just as one of the officers tried to stop the door before it could shut completely.

Many more sounds of bashing was heard on the other side of the door, followed by voices as they agreed to let someone else do the breaking and entering. Marcus didn't know who they were, but now wasn't the time to wait and see what awaited them on the other side of that door. "Where do we go now?" He asked as he started running around the complex he had just brought them too.

"I tried to warn you," Tenne said as she kicked a table over, and then shattered all of the windows in the room to let down a hidden curtain. "This floor only has two ways down, back through there down the stairs, or out the window down the fire escape."

"What kind of bullshit design is that?" Marcus cursed himself for not listening to her mentally, but couldn't help but question the interesting design choices of this building.

"Don't ask me, I wasn't even born when this building was first built." Tenne replied.

Damn it. Marcus followed her lead and prepared themselves for a last stand. They weren't stupid, the windows were probably being watched by snipers and spotters. Outside, they could hear a helicopter flying around as well, with a spotlight that shined light through the curtains. The curtains were thick and dark, however, and didn't reveal their position in the room. But in the worst-case scenario, they would have to jump out through the window in a last-ditch effort to escape.

He couldn't get caught her, if he did, he doubted that he would even make it to the court. If there even was one. He's killed so many people that these guys would probably try and kill him on sight. As for Tenne, she _might _get lucky to get a plea deal for a lighter sentence. But was almost guaranteed life in prison.

"We hold here. I will trust in my subordinates to get out of this building themselves. We will have to take care of ourselves, where is your ally? The one with the green hair?" Tenne asked as she pushed cover closer to the door that was still being bashed on, the metal contorting and twisting as the battering ram slammed into it over and over again.

"She should be around here somewhere," Marcus said as he looked around the room. "I told her to keep up with us. She's a sneaky little bitch, unless they have some sharp eyes I don't think they'll be able to catch her."

"Is it safe to assume that she has already left the building?" Tenne asked, suspecting the worst.

Marcus felt like he should maybe defend the partner that he has been running around with lately, but in all honesty, Emerald wasn't all that important to him. "Probably." He sighed, accepting that he and Tenne were most likely on their own here.

"Then for what it's worth, I look forward to seeing your skills in person." Tenne smirked at him as she twirled her spear, getting ready to strike the moment the door was completely battered through.

"Sure," Marcus loaded his hand cannon, and then took aim toward the door with his knife holding hand being used to help steady his firearm. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders with narrowed black eyes, waiting for the moment those men with death wishes made it through the door. "You'll get a front-row seat…"

The door was broken open and fell off of one of its hinges. The man holding the battering ram fell backward as a bullet hole exploded through his chest. One man foolishly tried to charge in, but his shield was pierced straight through by Tenne's spear. The tip cutting a deep slash across his neck that had the man falling to the ground gurgling on his own blood. The next one to try and challenge them simply held the doorway, holding out his riot shield and slowly pushed forward as a man with two revolvers shot over his head. Marcus cursed and jumped over his cover. These guys couldn't be allowed in their floor so easily. He dove into the adjacent room and smashed a hole in the drywall so that he could more easily shoot at the ones entering the room. Tenne quickly followed his lead, not entering the other room itself but more like preventing anyone else from getting through to them directly. She didn't have a gun herself, but proved herself efficient enough with her double-sided spear as she cut down men and held others at bay.

Another man with a shield stepped through next, and charged straight towards the snake faunus. Tenne tried to stab through his shield like she was before, but widened her eyes as she started to be pushed back instead, the tip of her spear bouncing off the shield rather than going through it. Marcus cursed and shot a round into the guy's body, but blue aura flared and instead of getting his leg blown off his aura bounced the bullet away. He did fall to one knee however, giving Tenne the advantage she needed to jump backward and kick the man away with an aura enhanced kick.

"I have you Verdant!" The other shield-bearer exclaimed as he dragged the other man back, holding his shield out to block Marcus hail fire of powerful dust rounds that dented and cracked his shield with each bullet.

Marcus gave up on shooting at the shield and turned his eyes to look at the other men still entering the room, noting that some of these men had aura. About four of them were aiming fully automatic rifles at him. "Shit." He cursed as he dove across the room and covered his head. Flaring his aura as the wall he was hiding behind was becoming filled with holes. The assassin sprinted forward and charged into a different room. Tenne quickly following behind him into the darker room.

"Cobra squad, don't try to fight either of them by yourself!" The presumed commanding officer ordered. Marcus was able to hear his voice through the thin walls. "Especially the one with white hair, that ones Marcus Black, only try to get close to him in a group, and if we can leave him to the huntress or huntsman with us."

"Understood Seth!" The officers all chattered back.

"They're after me…" Marcus realized as he gingerly crept around the room.

"And they have hunters here as well." Tenne pointed out, sticking close to him. "They planned this, somehow they knew that you would be here tonight. You were either followed, which unless you count a flock of birds you were not. Or you have a mole in your forces."

"I made sure no one was tailing us every minute," Marcus growled. "No, I know what happened here, and I was followed."

"Are you sure?" Tenne asked. "It could be possible that perhaps that Emerald girl planned this as well."

"Not possible," Marcus said right away. "The girl is obsessed with making our boss love her, she's too loyal to try and out me like this. I'm still needed, and will be for a long time."

"Then what do you think happened?" Tenne asked in a whisper as she stalked up to the next room, shutting off the light the moment she entered to give them more cover of darkness. This floor must have been a storage deck that hasn't been used to its fullest yet. Most of the rooms were empty or had a very small amount of things in it while others had cover all over the place.

Marcus hardened his glare as he closed the door behind him. "You said there were a flock of birds, right?"

"I did."

"Then I know how they found us… Get ready for a fight." Marcus holstered his gun and unsheathed his larger knife. "Things are going to get a little more bloody."

Cobra Squad apparently split into two groups to look for them. Clearing out each room violently, shooting first and looking around later. Marcus and Tenne noted that eventually they were going to do that to their room as well, and they were quickly running out of space to hide.

When they lit up the room adjacent to theirs, Marcus listened to their footsteps as they walked in. From the amount of beats he was able to feel and hear through the walls and floor, there were about four people in there. Four people to kill before they could sound off the alarm or fire their weapons. He held up four fingers to Tenne, and she nodded her head, understanding what he was trying to tell her. The two of them took position at the next door, and once they heard someone step up their door, they burst through.

Tenne's spear found one's brain, and she tore it out to stab the other end into the gut of the next man. One instantly dead, and the other dying quickly. Marcus silenced the last man who was about to scream by clasping his hand around his mouth and pushing him up against the wall while stabbing him multiple times in the chest through his armor at an upward angle, finally finding purchase in his heart. Finally, the last one stared back at him with red eyes as she quickly found herself pinned up against the wall by a spear with a knife threatening to cut through her stomach.

Before Marcus could end her life, however, he recognized the head of green hair. He removed his hand from her mouth and told Tenne to back down. Letting Emerald catch her breath as the staff of Tenne's fear was pulled away from her neck.

"The hell are you still doing here Emerald?!" Marcus whisper screamed at the younger girl. "What happened to the plan?"

Emerald coughed, but still made motion to explain herself. "There was too many of them, I had to pretend that I was a victim. I had that guy from earlier tie my hands together and gag me before he ran off somewhere. When they found me, I gave them a story on how I was a huntress in training from Mistral visiting Vale for the upcoming festival."

"And those fuckers believed you?" Marcus snickered quietly.

"I have official records, they looked it up and it came through." Ah, right. The headmaster of Haven was roped into all this as well. That made sense. Marcus nodded his head in understanding. "Since I wasn't injured, I decided to play along with them and pretend to be a huntress. Sorry, but I had to take down some of your men."

"Did you kill them?" Tenne asked.

"I didn't."

"Then you are forgiven."

"That's great and all, but now you're stuck here with us and your squad here is dead." Marcus pointed out. "You know what that means, right?"

Emerald groaned lightly in irritation. "Just try not to accidentally kill me, alright?" She said as she through one of her weapons to the side, and the other stabbed into the wall.

Marcus made no promises, but he didn't tell her that. Tenne knew what was about to happen and prepared herself to act along with their plan.

"Over here! Agh!" Emerald cried out as Marcus smashed his fist into Emerald's stomach, then grabbed her by the back of her head and smashed it against the wall. He needed to make it convincing, and there was no better way to do it then to drain all of her aura and beat the shit out of her until she was all bloodied up. Emerald put up a faux defense, but let all of Marcus' attacks land. And every one of those strikes made _something _bleed. Quickly, her aura shattered as it hit down to zero, and just in time as well. Emerald was barely able to stand, her stomach was bruised and she was bleeding from her nose and mouth. Marcus held an arm around her neck and used her as a body shield as the same two men from earlier with the powerful shield barged in from both of the entrances into the room, along with a few more armed men and their commanding officer. Who ordered them not to shoot as he entered the room last. His eyes narrowing as he saw the mess that was the 'huntress in training' that he let fight with them.

"Damn it, I knew I should have let her come with us." Seth, Marcus remembered, holstered his two revolvers and kept his hands visible. "Damn hunters, thinking you're all-powerful and can't be stopped."

"As you can probably assume, a deal has to be made here or else this girl is going to die at an unfortunately young age," Marcus said as he aimed his pistol toward the man before him. "That would suck you know, I doubt she has even lost her V-card yet."

The girl in his arms groaned painfully. Though to Marcus, he assumed that it translated to 'go fuck yourself.'

"You would really kill a girl just to escape?" Seth asked, holding his hands up. "She has nothing to do with you, let her go."

"Yeah, I don't think you know who you're talking to. Seth, is it?" Marcus grinned cruelly at the man. "Let me let you in on a little secret, I've killed for less."

"That's… not really a secret man." Seth pointed out.

Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe not, but my position stands. The only way this innocent little grassy haired girl is going to live is if me and this snake woman here get a five-minute head start."

The officer grimaced and lowered his hands slightly closer to his revolvers.

Marcus, in turn, pressed the edge of his knife tight against Emerald's neck. Seth stopped and raised his hands back up. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You wouldn't want to have this girls blood on your hands, right?"

"You really are like what the huntsman told us." Seth glared at him. "You're a psychopath."

"Eh, more of a sociopath in my opinion," Marcus replied. "My terms are set, and tell those two shield guys to back up before I change my mind and kill everyone in this room."

Seth didn't know if he could actually go through with that, but he didn't want to wait and see to call his bluff. "Mackie, Verdant, back up. That's an order."

The shield bearers did what they were told reluctantly, as did the other officers who were pointing their weapons at him. Leaving just Marcus, Tenne behind him, a bloodied Emerald and the commanding officer standing off against all of them by himself.

"I'm giving you the chance to surrender peacefully now. If you do, you will receive a lighter sentence."

Marcus laughed at the offer. "Yeah, I've heard that one before.

"Damn it, there's no getting through to you is there. Where's the huntsman?" Seth asked one of the other officers. Marcus narrowed his eyes and backed away closer to the window.

"Right here." A _very _familiar voice answered him. Behind one of the shield bearers, presumably the one he'd shot. A man close to his own age stepped out and into the room. His weapon was a long thick and wide sword, which collapsed into a firearm in his hand as he watched Marcus with red eyes. Marcus stared back, a smile creeping up from his lips as he recognized the other man as Qrow Branwen, another relic from his past.

Qrow stepped in front of Seth, and promptly did not hold up his hands, and instead pointed his mecha-shifted gun at him. Marcus didn't react externally. "All these deaths…" Qrow started, looking around for a moment to see all of the dead bodies that were still bleeding on the floor in that room. "What are you doing back here, Marcus?"

"Ah, Qrow. You always did suck at saying hello." Marcus greeted back. "How long has it been, a few months? Yeah, the last time we saw each other was when you failed at protecting one of my targets. Man, I remember that like it was just yesterday."

"You have no idea what you started that day." Qrow groaned, and refrained from getting angry and losing his cool. Just by looking at him, Qrow wanted to pound his face into the dirt until there was nothing left to grab hold of. "Why are you doing this Black? What is the point of all this? I didn't know you were the kind of person to start gang wars."

"Why? Let me answer that question with another question," Marcus snickered. "Why not? I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do. After contract after contract, kill after kill, I got a little bored. There's just not much to go for when you're at the top you know."

"You could have been so much better!" Qrow shouted back, unable to hide his boiling anger. "You _were _so much better. The path you are going down now can only end _one way_. With your death."

"Coming from the guy who hasn't put down a bottle in twenty years."

"This isn't about me," Qrow continued. "I have my faults, I'll be the first to admit that. But you never bothered to worry about your own. So when it came down to it, you tucked your cowardly tail between your legs and ran away."

"And you all kept trying to find me," Marcus said, his face darkening as unpleasant memories kept emerging from deep in the back of his mind. "What about now? Is this another one of Ozpin's attempts to drag me back into his little circle of fuck buddies? You all still want to become buddy-buddy again? Be honest and I might think about it, scouts promise-"

"You lost that chance when you _murdered her_!" Qrow spat. His head shaking as he continued to look him in the eyes. "Summer looked for you, Ozpin sent her to find you. She never stopped caring for you, even after everything. Even during a time when she had two little girls to take care of, she still wanted to find her friend and bring him back to the light. To make him a better man,"

Marcus didn't say anything. His face was unreadable, and everyone around the two acknowledged that they were listening to something very personal between these two men. They were speaking like they were the only ones in that room.

"And you killed her anyway," Qrow growled, his muscles tense and his teeth gritted against each other. "Why?"

Marcus refused to explain himself.

"I guess I'll never know." Qrow nodded his head, holding on to the tilted cross necklace, a gift from the partner he lost, while still aiming his weapon at the white-haired man. "After all these years, I don't think I'll ever know. There is no good reason you could spit out that could-"

"She became a target." Marcus suddenly said, letting Emerald drop to the floor. By the time Qrow looked back up, the snake faunus behind him was already out the window. His eyes widened with hatred. "And I had a perfect record to keep clean."

Marcus crossed his arms as Qrow fired his shotgun. The pellets slammed against his arms and he forced his aura to defend his body. It flared bright white and he was sent flying out of the window behind him. Qrow knew that the blast and the fall wouldn't be enough to kill the man, and jumped out onto the fire escape to try and find him.

When he jumped out, Marcus was already up on top of the building adjacent to the one they had just raided. He looked down at him, a blank expression on his face. Qrow glared back, taking aim once more.

Marcus waved at him with two fingers, and dashed backward before Qrow could take the shot. He very desperately wanted to go after him, but going after Marcus by himself when the assassin even had someone on his side to help him was a death wish. He wasn't going to fall for that trick. Cursing mentally, he stepped back in and helped pick the green-haired girl up back to her feet.

"He got away?" Seth asked him.

"Yeah, don't try and find him," Qrow replied. "He'll just kill whoever goes after him."

"Got it." The officer sighed, obviously displeased with losing their primary target. But on the bright side, they had successfully raided this Black Wither base and apprehended a few dozen criminals, and saved the life of a huntress in training in the process. All in all, this was a great victory for the special forces of Vale.

Qrow carried the unconscious girl in his arms, she was pretty brave to try and stand up to him. But was also pretty stupid in doing so.

_I almost lost another one… _His mind cursed him.

Qrow ignored that thought and went on to bring the girl to get medical attention. She is going to need it.

* * *

"It was a fuck fest, but I was able to get her out," Marcus told Cinder as Tenne looked around the abandoned warehouse that has yet to be found by the authorities. "Emerald's cover is still in effect, and if anything it has been solidified. Once she gets out of Beacon's infirmary, she might even have somewhere to stay within Beacon itself."

"I see." Cinder said, taking in all the information that was just told to her in a manner of minutes. "It seems that Qrow Branwen has once again entered the fray. That will make things more difficult, that ability to turn into a bird is ever annoying." She turned to face the yellow-eyed faunus. "And you, Miss Venen, how many men and resources will you still be able to provide?"

Tenne bowed her head toward Cinder as she replied. "I will not sugar coat it and lie, The Black Withers have lost a large portion of our resources, and a few dozen of our men were arrested, and more were killed in the raid. But I still have other bases throughout the city. Once they hear that I am alive and well, they will rally to me. Our alliance will still be functional."

Cinder smirked. "I see, it seems that even when the rest of the world might think you failed you are able to succeed. Interesting." She said as she looked to Marcus, the back to Tenne. "Do what you must and rally your forces, go speak with Roman and he will give you the locations and contact information should you need to ask more questions. I look forward to our continued relationship."

"I as well." Tenne smiled and made to leave. Stopping next to Marcus to place a grateful gesture on his shoulder. "Thank you for helping me escape, I am indebted to you, Marcus Black."

"I'll cash in on that soon enough then," Marcus replied.

The snake faunus chuckled and slithered away to go do her business. Marcus wondered if he was going to ever be able to cash in on that debt anytime soon. But now, he had bigger things to worry about.

Cinder once again caressed his cheek with a hot hand. It felt comfortable, but it still made Marcus uncomfortable at the same time. He wanted to pull away. "You have been very successful lately." She cooed as she rubbed his cheek almost lovingly. "Keep it up and I'll have to reward you."

She took her hand away and dragged it across his shoulder as she walked past him, her hips swaying left and right. Knowing that Marcus' gaze was on her until she disappeared further into the warehouse.

Now alone, Marcus went back into his room. The room he used to share with Emerald. In a few days, he'd probably hear from her, but for now it seemed that he was going to be working by himself. Ignoring Roman's call for him, he stepped in and locked the door behind him.

His back slid down the door until his butt hit the ground. His hands grabbed his head and he finally let out a pained groan as his mind raced with memories he'd thought he condemned to forget.

He remembered them, he always did. As hard as he tried he could never truly forget them, only try to push them deep in the inner depths of his mind. Team STRQ was always a part of his life, just like his own team was.

A particular scene went through his mind. A scene that happened many years ago in the same year that he would graduate Beacon in. Despite his many efforts to push this memory away, it flooded through his mind like a floodgate being forced open.

_There he was, a much younger and a much happier Marcus Black sitting at a lunch table next to his partner, Roman Torchwick. And to his side, his two other teammates. Maddox and Emma. Team MBTE, or Mobster, which was the name that they accepted years ago after their initiation. Across from them sat another team, with a pair of black-haired red-eyed twins that constantly bickered argued with each other over which one is stronger than the other just as they have been doing for the longest time. While their two other teammates, a blonde guy and a girl with a flowing white cloak tried to calm them down. _

_And once they finally did, the leader of Team STRQ finally turned to look at him. "Ugh… how did you manage being a leader for so many years?" She asked him, looking at him with those pure silver eyes of hers, the same color as Maddox's hair. _

"_No idea," The younger Marcus replied. "But maybe I am just that much better than you."_

"_Hey! Just because we're best buds doesn't mean that you can say those things to me!" Summer pouted._

Marcus forced himself to stop thinking about it. But no matter how hard he tried, after his encounter with Qrow earlier that night all he could think about was his past.

"_Well," _his younger self said. The past couldn't be changed. "_I get a free pass this year, I won't be able to flaunt my superiority over you as much when we graduate, so I'll take what I can get now."_

The flashback continued to haunt him in his dreams. Along with the smile of the woman he'd killed, the one who once called him one of her best friends.

* * *

**Well, that was a long and important chapter. Many things were revealed here, and yet many more questions were created as well. This is quite the fast-paced story, and now that I think about it I think I could have started it off much better than the way I did before. However, just like I wrote earlier, the past can't be changed.**

**Oh, who am I kidding. I can totally re-write the first chapter if I want to.**

**Also yes, in this story. Marcus was the one who killed Summer Rose.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here we are and here we go. I liked writing the last chapter and this one will be much the same I would expect. More thinking, more action, and overall more stuff for our pal Marcus to undergo. Let's see how he handles it all.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 9**

* * *

_Then… I started to remember… They started popping back in my head, and it tortured me._

Marcus twisted and turned as the dream haunted his mind. Sweat dripped off all over his body, and he was clutching the sheets as if for dear life. Cursing in his sleep as the memories came pouring in with no sign of stopping. Making him repent for the smallest of his crimes.

"_Man," His partner Roman groaned as he stretched his arms up above his head, then winced and rubbed the bruise on his side. "That woman is really something else, it's like she isn't human at all. Damn monster."_

"_That's what you get for challenging Raven like a dumbass." The E of their team, Emma, berated her teammate. "There's a reason she and Summer are the two strongest girls of our year."_

"_Yeah? Well, we got the first strongest man on our team," Roman countered, impishly looking back toward his partner. "Ain't that right Mark?" _

"_Damn straight," Marcus spat to the side as he sharpened his knife. _

"_I don't know how that is, with that tiny knife of yours," Emma said, eying the blade. It wasn't exactly short by any means, being the length of a forearm or som, and some of the students in their years don't even use weapons, and others use some kinds of brass knuckles. Similar to that Taiyang guy, but none of them used a knife-like Marcus did, and he was so lethal with it. In the last few years he proved himself to be more lethal with a short knife like that than most students with their massive flashy weapons and dust explosions. The only other one, only other boy at least, who might be able to match him would be Maddox._

"_Our Pa' told us that the flashy weapons that most hunters use just get in the way," Maddox said as he pat his leader on the back. "Us Blacks have a long history of being pretty lethal with knives and guns. It may seem simple, but the simplest of tricks sometimes manage to be the top dogs. In this case, my brother here mastered it."_

"_And he gave up and started using a sword like the rest of you idiots," Marcus said as he affectionally smacked his slightly older twin brother on the back of the head. _

That's right… he had a twin brother. Had. The only physical difference between the two of them was that he had white hair, while his brother had a dark onyx silver that almost looked black. Maddox Black was his name. The B of Team MBTE. And Emma's partner.

"_Didn't even start using a gun on top of that, when he told our dad he was so pissed. But it isn't like he's able to do anything about it at this point, we've surpassed him already." Marcus explained with a laugh and a smile._

"_You surpassed your daddy?" Roman asked, surprised. "Isn't he some super lethal hunter?"_

"_Officially, anyway," Maddox said while making air quotes. "Our dad is… well, let's just say he's good at what he does." _

"_Very good," Marcus added. _

"_Well, that isn't ominous at all," Roman said as he stood up from his sitting position against the wall. "But whatever, I won't make you two talk about your daddy if you don't want to."_

"_What makes you think that he wasn't good to us?" Maddox asked with a raised eyebrow. _

"_If it makes you feel better," Roman went on, smirking the whole time. "My daddy and mommy left me all alone at the tender age of thirteen. So if anyone has parent issues that might understand yours, I'd know."_

That was Roman's old way of showing that he cared, before he became what he is today anyway. Something happened, something happened that Marcus desperately tried to force back to the back of his mind. Something happened to their team, caused him and Roman to defect away from Beacon, which therefore lead to Summer coming after him and losing her life because of it. Memories could only be suppressed for so long, however.

"_Hey!" Summer cheered as she hopped and wrapped her arms around Marcus' shoulders. The taller man stumbled and nearly fell, but caught himself and glared at the shorter young woman even as she smiled up at him. "Where do you think you're going? Training by yourself again?"_

She knew. She always knew.

"_It is what I do with most of my free time," Marcus freely admitted. It took many weeks to get used to being around people all the time. Marcus and his brother didn't have much of a childhood, being trained by a retired assassin who dedicated all his time to make them into the next generation of Black assassins. After most of their training was complete, the bitter old man named Mason Black sent them to Beacon so that they could see how hunters fought, so when they graduated and completed their assassin training with him, they would be nearly unstoppable. With Marcus' white hair and ability to lock away the semblances of others, he would be the pride and joy of the Black assassin bloodline. His name was already written in the history books. _

_It wasn't like that stopped Summer Rose at all, however. She didn't know about the whole 'assassin' thing that Marcus and Maddox had a chance of becoming right after Beacon, and during those few weeks, after spotting Marcus' unique white hair and knife-wielding fighting style, she 'adopted' him into her friend group, as most people from their time would put it. It was clear that Marcus wanted nothing to do with her at first, for several months. But once his brother fell to her charms and became friends with Team STRQ, his heart slowly began to thaw, and he accepted the Rose as a friend. One of his only. Roman Torchwick may have been his partner, but Summer Rose was his best friend. Even if she practically forced him into the spot. _

_So at this point, besides the assassin thing, Marcus didn't even try to hide anything from her. "Just like every other day when you try to sneak up on me, one time that's going to get you killed you know?"_

"_Oh please, as if you'd ever hurt me." Summer giggled innocently._

How painfully ironic…

"_Want me to come with this time?" Summer offered, as she always would. "Qrow is dealing with Raven again, trying to get her not to challenge you. What is the record between you and her again?"_

_Ah, him and Raven Branwen. Wasn't she such a charming woman? Their record currently was 324-324, that was the official count in combat class anyway when they sparred with each other. The first time they sparred, Marcus won a match over her, winning a friend in Qrow Branwen, which sparked Raven to challenge him again after grueling training sessions with her team, and she won the next one, albeit closely. Then Marcus did the same, training until he collapsed and defeated Raven in their next battle. On and on again, it would be, lasting years. That was including the out of class sparring sessions the two would share. The last time they sparred, Marcus won, so now it was Raven's turn on the sparring session train. They agreed that their next spar would be the ultimate tiebreaker, so this time around they were both training their hearts out. Sometimes Summer would help her own partner, and other times she would help Marcus. Apparently, this time Qrow decided to or was forced into helping his sister prepare while he drew the Summer straw. Seemed fitting, somehow. _

"_A lot," Marcus said with a snicker. "And even. It's strange, after all these years I only know Raven by name. I don't know if she even knows mine."_

"_Oh she does," Summer chuckled. "She only curses it all throughout training sessions to motivate herself."_

"_Oh? Should I be worried for my sweet innocent body?" Marcus asked in a teasing tone. "Does Raven want to ravage me that badly?"_

"_Ew, don't make me think about you naked in bed with Raven," Summer shuddered at the thought. "I don't ever think you two will ever get together. Ever."_

"_Maybe that's our tiebreaker," Marcus teased, making Summer's face go green. "First one to cum loses-"_

"_That's enough!" Summer slapped a hand over his mouth. "Training time, now!"_

Heh, classic Summer. Marcus remembered that day well, it was in the morning where Summer and he trained together. While training, Marcus didn't like to speak, and classic Summer being Summer understood that right away. They sparred and sparred until sweat dripped from all over her body. Nobody would know until later, but Marcus and Summer were just as even with each other as Raven and he was, if not she had the advantage. She was just that great.

Was. Nothing good ever lasts.

"_Emergency!" The headmaster's voice screamed over the intercom. Surprising Marcus and Summer out of their conversation as they sat on the floor recovering from their training. "Emergency in Mountain Glenn, I need all available huntsman, including those in training, to take the nearest Bullhead and head to Glenn immediately! This is not a drill, all hunters, including those in training, go to Glenn right now! It is being invaded by Grimm as we speak!"_

_Those words had Marcus and Summer packing their weapons and parting ways toward their respective teams in an obvious rush. Marcus barged into his dorm room and saw his own team already getting their gear on. Roman loaded his cudgel with more dust, and Emma took some practice swings with her mace-like weapons. His brother Maddox looked toward his brother with wide frantic eyes. _

"_I've heard that they're evacuating the city." He said, black eyes going wider. "Grimm, millions of them."_

"_And we'll kill every last one of them," Marcus said in a serious dark tone, surprising his frightened brother into shock. "Don't lose your shit now brother, we've been through tougher shit than this. Remember our plan?"_

_Maddox remembered, and he steeled himself with more resolve than Marcus had seen in any man, even up to the present he was in now. _

"_Yeah, I do," Maddox said, nodding his head and taking a deep breath. "Sorry, I got a little spooked is all."_

"_No worries," Marcus stepped past him and toward his bed. From under it, he drew out a box. Inside the box, was an arrangement of radios meant for being put in the ears. Surprised with the technology and wondering where he got it from, Team MBTE all installed the radios in their ears. _

_Maddox knew Marcus' biggest secret as soon as he saw those radios. Marcus Black the assassin was already doing work. These kinds of advanced scroll earpieces were exclusive to their organization._

"_I'll explain later," Marcus told Maddox after noticing his shocked face. "I promise, let's just get through this day."_

The Mountain Glenn tragedy would be forever remembered as that, a tragedy. No one would really truly know what happened down there, but any stories you heard about it from surviving hunters were true and factual. If there was any visual representation of what hell might have looked like, it was the ruined city of Glenn fresh into the invasion of Grimm. Unfortunately enough, Marcus Black the huntsman in training, as well as his team, were only some of the huntsman that were sent on that day.

Only half of Team MBTE would escape the city when the tunnels collapsed.

_Marcus felt a pain like never before. This pain was greater than any amount of training he did all put together, he was bleeding so much and couldn't walk, and despite only being half-conscious, he still screamed. _

_Not because of the pain. _

_He remembered what happened just before. After holding the line in the tunnels for as long as his team could, along with hundreds among thousands of huntsman who would give their lives that day to save the evacuating civilians. They were doing as well as they could, only slowly being pushed back as the unending tide of black fur, teeth, and claws kept trying to force their way through them and all the way to the main city of Vale. Team MBTE were all next to each other, fighting together with everything they had. _

_Until an explosion ignited right beneath their feet. _

_Marcus looked down and saw that his legs were missing, but that wasn't what he was screaming about. Before him, right before his eyes. He watched as his dead teammate Emma had her body torn apart by Grimm, a Beowolf tearing at her face while a creeper tore off one of her arms. Her guts and blood splattered everywhere, including Marcus' face, as an Ursa bit down on her belly and thrashed her around. If that wasn't enough, Marcus was forced to watch as his only brother was trapped under the tons of rock and concrete that fell from the ceiling of the tunnel. Despite the tunnels now being sealed off because of all the rock, there were still about a hundred Grimm on the other side with them. _

_Maddox was out of aura and could barely move, Marcus stared with tearing eyes as he looked into black eyes that mirrored his own. Maddox mouthed something to him through his tears, but Marcus couldn't understand it at that time. He was too busy screaming and trying to break out of the grip of the one pulling him back._

"_Marcus, forget it!" Roman shouted at him. "It's over, Emma is dead, your brother is crippled and trapped. I'm sorry man, but we have to go, now!" _

"_No!" Marcus would scream as he watched the Grimm reach his brother. _

_His only hope was the red katana like sword and a blur of white that would attack the Grimm the moment they pounced on the downed Maddox. Summer and Raven, Marcus recognized even as he lost liters of blood. The two huntresses slew the Grimm and pulled Maddox out. _

_They didn't make it in time. His body was littered with holes, slashes, and his face was gashed beyond recognition. For the first time ever, he saw as even Raven felt the guilt and sorrow of not being able to save a person, while Summer bawled her eyes out._

_It was at that moment that Marcus truly snapped._

Even though the painful memories, Marcus still refused to cry. Every time he cried, he would be punished for it. His father told him that those who cried were weak, and in many cases he was right.

Everything he did, and everything he was going to do after Beacon, was so that his brother could live the life that he wanted. Maddox may have been a Black, but he was terribly kind and friendly, even with the upbringing that he had as being a member of the Black family. He never would have laid a hand on an innocent life. Marcus was a different case, he had a different set of genes which made him not identical to his twin brother. His hair was white, his personality was darker. His empathy was nearly non-existent. Such was the way of the white-haired members of the Black family. They were genetically evolved to be killing machines. Until Marcus Black, however.

He still became a killing machine of course, but it wasn't for the reasons that his father would have liked.

_While Marcus recovered from his injuries in a coma, Roman was the first to abandon his position at Beacon, even while being so close to graduation. The only thing he left his only surviving teammate was a note, which simply stated that he was sorry for leaving, and that he was going to find whoever made the order to close off the tunnels early. That was it. _

_After that, his father visited him with a long suitcase the size of legs. While the doctors were away, Mason Black surgically attached the robotic limbs to his unconscious son's stumps. By the time Marcus woke up, he wasn't just able to walk again, he was able to run. _

_Mason Black would take him away from Beacon, and not against his will. Marcus left a note behind as well, one that Summer Rose must have been the one to find soon after. _

"_I'm leaving," Said Marcus in his note. "I'm leaving and I am not coming back. My brother is dead, my team is dead. Don't try to find me. I'm an assassin, have been this entire time. And I am going back to where I belong. I have nowhere else to go. Thank you for making me feel human, my friends." _

_Marcus didn't know how his old friends would have reacted to the note, but at the time he didn't care. His father took him back to the Black household. _

"_Your brother was weak," He said when Marcus told him about what happened to Maddox. "He abandoned our way of combat for a silly dream to become a huntsman, a foolish boy. I am ashamed he was my son, I'm glad he died the way he did. A pathetic man deserves a pathetic death."_

_Marcus already snapped before, but after hearing those words. Something went taut within him. He couldn't feel emotion, he couldn't feel remorse. All he felt was a desire to kill the man before him. _

_By the time he came to, Mason Black was dead with over four dozen stab wounds to his chest and face, and there was a reward sent to him through his scroll._

* * *

"AAAAAAGH!" Marcus screamed as he woke up suddenly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his body was slick with sweat. He brought a hand up to his face and it came back wet. He wasn't crying, his entire face was just wet.

He cursed and slumped back into his bed after making sure that he was alone. A dream like that hasn't come to him in years, he thought he was done with them after _she _came to bring him back to something he ran away from. Qrow, it was his fault. The damn drunkard ruined one of his recruitment runs and made him remember this things just by making him look at him, and what he _said_!

_You could have been so much better!_

"_You could have been so much better Marcus," Summer cried to him, clutching his collar with tears in her eyes as she pulled him down to her level. "Why didn't you trust us? Why didn't you stay? I would have been there for you, for the rest of my life if that is what it took!"_

Marcus punched himself so that he had something else to think about, and the memory from over a decade ago faded back into the inner depths of his mind.

Emotions, pain, memories of a forgotten past were something a man like Marcus couldn't allow himself to feel. The only one of those that were useful was pain, which told him when it was time to get serious. Emotion was only good every once in a while, and never for happiness. Happiness was useless. Happiness could only lead to sorrow and loss. A pain that trifles over all others. He killed his happiness a long time ago, and never again would he feel it. That was his vow after his mistake in allowing himself to gain friends and those he would care for. All it lead to was a fat lot of nothing.

He threw the covers off of his body and headed toward a washroom to clean himself. Cinder couldn't be allowed to see him like this in a state of vulnerability, no matter how much she might have liked the sight of his physique and the burn scar that now burned into his chest over his heart.

"Damn it…" He said to himself when he looked himself in the mirror. Emerald wasn't here, so for once he didn't need to hide how he really felt. For some reason, it wasn't nothing. But for the first time, he thought about all of this.

Was this attack on Vale and Beacon worth his freedom? Would that be something his brother would abide by?

As he went over the plan in his head again, the one that Cinder told him anyway, he found himself surprised as he clenched his fists with anger.

* * *

"Don't worry, we'll find her," Yang said to her concerned sister as they walked quickly throughout Vale. "It has only been a day after all, she couldn't have gotten far."

"She used to be a member of the White Fang, if she doesn't want to be found, she would make sure we wouldn't be able to find her," Ruby said, obviously in anguish as they came to a short stop under a bus stop. "What if that guy finds her first? The guy controlling the White Fang. If he's controlling them would he want to get to Blake?"

Yang blink. "You mean that white-haired guy from the news?" She laughed. "C'mon Ruby, why would a guy like him want to do with Blake?"

"Marcus Black is an assassin," Weiss pointed out with an angered huff. Yang and Ruby looked back at her in surprise. "He is responsible for the deaths of some of my friends and family members. I wouldn't be surprised if he really is the reason for everything happening in Vale right now."

"Weiss-cream…" Yang muttered underneath her breath. "Is that why you got so upset when I joked that you two were related somehow because of the white hair?"

Weiss huffed and looked away, answering her question with her body language rather than her voice. Yang felt a pang of guilt, but suppressed it in favor of returning to the issue of her missing partner.

"I don't think that guy would go after Blake still," Yang said, reassuring her sister. "If he is an assassin like Qrow and Weiss say, then unless Blake is a target, he wouldn't go after her, right? From the looks of it, Blake has been away from the White Fang for a long time now, if she really was as important to them as she made it seem, she wouldn't have lasted long enough to get into Beacon."

"I don't know…" Ruby looked down at her feet. "Even Qrow wasn't able to beat him…"

"That guy escaped, there's a difference between losing and letting an enemy escape." Yang laughed as she rubbed Ruby's hair. "They didn't even fight, remember what Qrow said? They just argued with each other and had a standoff, but the guy managed to escape before anything serious happened."

"Mm…" Ruby hummed, still not entirely convinced.

"Look, once we find Blake, we'll really rib into her for running away like this." Yang huffed and crossed her arms. "Seriously, talk about immature."

Weiss's glares softened as her arms tightened around her body slightly tighter. She didn't say it, but she felt bad for saying the things that she had said to her partner. She was just angry that she kept it a secret for so long. The White Fang were responsible for many of the deaths in her family, and this Marcus man was responsible for some as well. But Blake wasn't, she is much too young to be blamed for any of that.

"And I shall be willing to help!" That strange girl Penny exclaimed suddenly, somehow managing to cheer up Ruby as she engaged in a conversation with the ginger. She didn't know when this Penny girl joined their friend group, but she was here nevertheless. Ugh… how annoying.

Well, at least they had another pair of eyes looking for their missing teammate now. She wondered when they would be able to find her, because when they did, Blake had some apologizing and explaining to do.

* * *

After cleaning himself up and washing his clothes of the blood and sweat of the night before, Marcus finally exited his room. Emerald texted him that afternoon, telling him that she is okay and in Beacon's infirmary and that because of her 'encounter' with him she was going to be staying in Beacon for asylum now. At least that was how he interpreted her message. Because what she really said was "_You fucking asshole, you didn't have to beat me that badly. Now I'm stuck here and I'm not allowed to leave, you better listen to Cinder and do everything she says!" _

Classic Grass. At least she was still alive, and the beating she got was necessary so that the police didn't suspect her actually working with him. If anything, she should be grateful he didn't have to get rougher with her for them to believe the act they put up. She'd get over it, the whiny bitch that she is being right now. He felt sorry for whoever had to take care of her. If the little snot was being like this through text he could only imagine what the nurse could be going through.

The only thing about her being gone was that he was going to be working alone now, which isn't going to be a problem at all. For the last twenty years he has been working alone, and only for these past few weeks has he been stuck with a partner trailing him around. It wasn't that Cinder doubted his abilities, he more than proved them time and time again. The fact that he is able to defeat her when she isn't using her maiden powers is testament to that. But with Emerald gone and in Beacon much earlier than any of them planned, there was no one that Cinder trusted enough to keep an eye on Marcus. Which meant that maybe, unless Marcus impressed her a lot more than he originally thought, Cinder was going to keep a tighter leash on him. At least until he proved his loyalty somehow.

He was going to find out soon evidently. Cinder called for him earlier and he had to get dressed and ready. His recent success with Tenne and her Black Withers was enough for him not to get too worried about this next meeting. He made an impossible situation and molded it into a partial success after all, how many other people can do that? Not many, at least not many that are still alive today.

"You've come," Cinder smiled at him ever so seductively when she saw him come toward her in his usual confident strides.

"You called," Marcus countered, meeting her smirk with one of his own. "I'm ready to go after my next target on the list you gave me. Is that what this is about?"

"Partially," Cinder admitted freely, patting down on the empty spot next to her on a comfortable looking couch. Marcus took it with little hesitation, if Cinder wanted to be under the illusion that she held all the power here, then he would let her stay under said illusion. "You have served me well this past year Marcus Black. You've saved my life, helped me defeat the Fall Maiden, and have done everything I said to the letter. You are certainly an ideal ally, I feel ever blessed to have you in my circle."

Compliments within compliments yet still line with a suspicious threat. If Marcus was any younger, he might have preened under such praises. "I am just doing what I was trained to do; Listen to the contractor, no matter what it is they demand."

Cinder sought to test that immediately, Marcus immediately noticed as she looked at him with a certain amount of lust. "Anything they so desire?" She asked as she traced a hot finger down Marcus' exposed arm.

Despite being trained to resist such charms, not even Marcus could fully hide the way his body felt as Cinder let his eyes wander over the exposed skin that pierced through the openings of her dress. "We're not whores, if that's what you're thinking." He forced himself to look away from her skin and into her eyes, showing his seriousness.

Oh, some of them definitely tried, and they all got the punishment they deserved. There was only so much an assassin was willing to do for money. Selling their body along with killing was crossing a certain line, and although some didn't mind, most opted to keep what dignity and pride they had left.

Cinder chuckled and drew her hand back. "Of course not, even I would be a fool to believe so," She said, leaning back in spot of the sofa and leaning over the rest. Swinging her legs over Marcus' lap in the process.

She was being suspiciously seductive today, Marcus' eyes narrowed.

"Relax Mister Black," Cinder said softly to him as she crossed her arms. "I am not your enemy, nor shall I hope to ever be. You wish to know your next assignment, yes?"

Finally, some progress. "I do," He said, leaning back and relaxing ever so slightly in his seat.

"Give me the paper I gave you some time ago." Cinder said as she held out a hand.

Marcus reached into his pocket and took out the folded piece of paper, then quickly tossed it into Cinder's awaiting palm. The woman unfolded the paper slowly, staring into Marcus' black eyes the entire time, and the way his white hair shifted and shone in the white light shining from up above them was a sight truly to behold. She smiled at him as she took the paper, read it's contents and all of the names written on it, and grinned even wider at the ones that were crossed off with red ink, then ripped it apart.

Marcus watched the scene with great internal confusion. That paper was the thing that holds all the information on the location of the big gang leaders and their full names, and Cinder tore it apart right there in front of him. Sure, almost all of the names except for two were crossed out already, but there were still two more to go. He only managed to cross out three names since Cinder gave him and Emerald this task. There were two more that he has yet to seek out.

"I hope you have an explanation for that," Marcus said finally once all the little pieces of paper fell to the ground.

"I do," Cinder said with another seductive smirk. "The next name on that list, the one after Tenne Venen, was fake. I made it up."

This time, Marcus barely concealed his shock.

Cinder noticed, anyhow, and laughed. "The first three gangs on this list were preferable, but by no means were they needed. If anything, only Miss Venen will prove any amount of usefulness. Rox and his gunners are next to useless and Hei and his gang have already proven to be inefficient."

"So why did you have me go after them?" Marcus asked with seething anger. That meant that almost everything he has been doing these past couple of weeks for almost nothing. Up to a whole two-thirds of his work up to this point in Vale was just a waste of time.

"To test your loyalty, mostly." Cinder easily admitted. "You are not as intelligent as you might think, Marcus."

_Damn it_, Marcus cursed in his mind. This whole time he thought he has been stringing Cinder along, staying on her good side and doing what she said to make her think that he was truly her ally and on her side. Now he just found out that he has been the one being strung along this entire time. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but one he bore through with steadfast determination.

"However, you are much smarter than most I have had the pleasure and _displeasure _to work with." Cinder rose from her seat and seemed to slide across the sofa until she sat on his lap. Marcus was surprised by the gesture, and for once didn't know how to react. "I may have strung you along for a bit, I admit. But _some things _I may have said are not entirely without meaning." She said as she twisted herself in his lap, effectively straddling him. Marcus still refused to place his hands on her, opting to instead look up into her eyes instead, gauging her true feelings by looking into her soul itself.

"I know now that you are one of the _greatest _men I have ever seen," She continued, her voice getting more silent as she leaned down to whisper into his ear. "You are strong, skilled, and undeniably lethal," She dragged her forehead across his as she moved to whisper in his other ear. "Even more than _I _am, and that is oh so exciting~. If we didn't have our mission, I'd have taken you to bed already."

The idea didn't sound entirely unpleasant to Marcus' ears. But still, he wouldn't trust her with his life, much less to be in a room with her caught with his pants literally off.

"And you are oh so resilient," Cinder leaned back, smirking the whole time as she stepped off of him. Just in time as well, Marcus didn't know how long he would have been able to keep his primal instincts under control. He seemed to have passed some test however, for Cinder didn't seem bothered by his restraint at all. "All of these traits are exactly what I have been looking for in an ally, and believe you me, I have been speaking wonders of your progress to our Queen herself. She looks forward to speaking with you, but only after you complete one final test I have in store for you. And it will be your hardest yet."

"I've probably done harder." Marcus griped as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees with the express intent to block any further advancements from Cinder. This knowledge about Salem wanting to speak with him was both concerning and good to know, it gave him time to prepare.

"Most likely," Cinder shrugged in her agreement. "But hear me now. The next target I am giving you is required to be brought onto our side _alive_. Right now, he is already working with us, but his loyalty is obviously in question. However, with you among my ranks something I once thought impossible might just become possible."

"The next one on your list is Roman Torchwick."

Marcus widened his eyes.

"You will reunite with him as his partner, and you will personally ensure his loyalty. That is your final test."

* * *

**Uh oh, final test stuff. Super anime, whoop whoop. Sorry for the shorter chapter, but as I said in The Blind Huntsman, there have been many things going on in my life that has been slowing me down. Please forgive me. Give me some time, and chapters will come out longer as usual.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story!**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	10. Chapter 10

**Whew, here we are again and here we go. This story is growing, which is just dandy and enjoyable. It seems like the last chapter earned this story a few new followers, and for that, I greet you all a warm welcome. I'm glad this **_**kinda **_**crack idea of a story has been able to attract some people. Not as much as my other stories, which all have at least a hundred or more followers, but hey, the numbers aren't what matters. **

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

* * *

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

_Things only got worse than here, let me tell ya. My luck didn't get any better… Like, at all._

His next target was Roman Torchwick. Old friend, teammate, and once upon a time, partner. The thought of Cinder sending him after him did make him feel mildly uncomfortable, it wasn't like Roman was one of the people who helped turn him into who he was today. He made that choice on his own, and after Glenn, losing half their team all because of a council order, Marcus didn't blame his old partner for leaving Beacon. They never left on harsh terms, but ever since that letter, they haven't spoken to each other for almost two decades. Thought about maybe, but nothing close to what they were doing now.

He was conflicted, that much was obvious. He didn't like Torchwick, any friendly feelings he might have felt between the two of them drifted away with the time they spent away from each other. Marcus as the assassin, and Roman as the mastermind criminal. But that didn't mean that he hated him either. Sure, the ginger prick could be an obnoxious asshole sticking his nose in everything and may be working with Cinder on top of that. Or rather, under her. He was still a remnant of his past, a time of better days when his team was still alive and he was much less a monster that he was today.

"_This will be your most difficult task yet," _Cinder told him. "_However, I still expect you to come out on top and push through, as you have been these past couple of weeks. I implore you to impress me…" _He was able to read the hidden threat between the lines. Cinder already proved to him that she could and would be able to defeat him in a battle one on one. As long as she used her maiden powers, Marcus didn't stand much of a chance unless he was at full strength and caught her off guard. Despite his skills, he wasn't a front liner. His choice of a knife and pistol as his primary weapons along with his semblance made him more oriented toward human opponents, but those weapons could only do so much against a maiden. Over a year ago Amber proved that to him. If you wanted to deal with a maiden, you needed to get up close and personal and drain their aura.

It went without saying that if one got too close to fire, they would get burned. Which made him wonder. Compared to Cinder now, despite only having half of the maiden powers, she really was pathetically weak. Yet she still almost killed all three of them. If Amber had the same skills Cinder did, they would have all died. Which just went to show how much of a monster Cinder really was in battle.

But still, Roman? For once, Marcus didn't know how he was going to handle that. Also for once, he actually wouldn't have minded for Emerald to be around so she could distract him from all of these inner thoughts he's been having ever since Cinder gave him his next 'task'. For all he could know, this might just be another one of her stupid tests. Most likely it wasn't, Cinder wasn't stupid, if she pushed him too hard she knew that he would soon push back. With that logic, Roman should be an actual task, but also a final test of sorts hidden within that.

Cinder made a mistake however, she made it clear that she not only needs Marcus on her side but _wants _him by her side. Despite her silver tongue, Marcus had one — albeit not as shiny — of his own, and an understanding of deciphering a hidden meaning within one's words. It seemed like saving her life back then was really coming in to save his own down the line. She wanted him to be loyal to her.

And Roman wasn't loyal to Cinder, not in the slightest. And despite being a bit of a pipsqueak in a fight himself, at least compared to actual seasoned huntsman, he had a powerful mind and knew how to use it. In the deeper ends of his mind, Marcus wondered if he could use that to his advantage. See if he and Roman could team up for old time's sake and get out of this situation themselves. If the world was perfect, then that could be something that happened. Remnant wasn't a perfect world of it, and just as it said in its name, it was just a remnant after all. There was a reason it was named that way.

So, the hidden thought of teaming up with Roman died an ugly death in the deepest depths of his mind, and wasn't going to be seeing any light again anytime soon. Which meant he needed to look at his old partner and try and figure out what has been going through his mind recently.

Marcus groaned and paced around his room in thought, as he has been doing for what felt like hours ever since that talk with Cinder a while ago. One thing was for sure, Roman was still Roman, his personality was practically the same, except for maybe a few more darker traits because of the kind of life he has been living for nearly twenty years. So that was something that could help him in the long run. But there was one thing that worried Marcus.

Neo. One of the very few amount of assassins that were actually able to get dismissed from the organization without getting a hit on their head. Not even _he _was able to manage that, but being a Black, that was nearly impossible for him anyway. He's worked with Neo before, and she was dangerous. Incredibly dangerous. She was on par with him in skill and strength, possibly stronger. And her size and young look really hides all of that. They weren't friends, and her hostility toward him was obvious since she knew about him and his track record with people who ended up becoming close to him. If they were to come to blows, Marcus felt like unless she made a mistake, he would have to steal her semblance away in order to beat her, and that was much easier said than done since Neo kept most of her skin covered. His semblance needed skin to skin contact in order for it to work, which was why his gloves exposed his fingers and palms. The only patches of skin he was able to see on Neo was her face, chest and her hips. All of which were easily defendable. Being as flexible and quick as she was, with her semblance on top of that, if she didn't want you to touch her, you would find out you had a hole in your neck before you realized that she was already out of the room.

In other words, Roman found himself a valuable and powerful ally. He didn't know how he managed to snag up Neo, but he was more concerned with Neo than he was with him in all honesty. If something happened to Roman, then Neo would go ape shit and blame Cinder, and by extension _him_, and go after them in a bloodlust. The same worked in reverse as well. If something happened to Neo, any chance of getting Roman to become loyal to anyone would be nothing but a hopeless dream.

"How the hell am I going to do this?" Marcus asked himself quietly as he flipped his scroll in his hands every few seconds. Wondering if he should call Roman and get started right away, or if he was better off destroying the device just in case it had some kind of tracker on it.

He was going to play along for now and see what he can do with Roman. Hurting or killing him wasn't an option, not only because of Neo but because of Cinder explicitly stating that Roman is to be kept alive because he was needed for their plans. So, the easiest way of getting rid of him was out of the way immediately.

Which meant that Roman would have to be handled the boring way. Which again made him wonder how exactly he was going to go about this the _nonlethal _way.

Well... there was that SDC freighter raid that he has been hearing about from the White Fang skulking about the abandoned warehouse that Cinder and he had been holding up in. Wasn't there?

Yes, now he remembered. Marcus laughed and nodded his head as he came up with the beginnings of a plan. First things first, he needed to earn Roman's trust again. He's had it once before, and if he could get passed the memories that haunt his mind every time the criminal is near him than it was something he was sure could be done. They lost their team together after all, and if it weren't for Roman Marcus would have died in those tunnels along with their team. It was plausible, and Torchwick has always been a reasonable person. They both have Cinder to complain about after all.

His hand made its way to his scroll's contacts, and he thumbed the profile listed simply as 'Rom'. The old nickname that he used to call him in their second or third year of Beacon. The scroll rung for only three seconds.

"_Marky, my man, you remembered my number even after all this time?" _Roman asked him in that memorable teasing tone that rolled off of his tongue so easily.

"I never removed you from my contact list." Marcus pointed out. This was his old scroll after all, and every time he lost one he was able to transfer the data along to a new one with the computer skills he picked up during his time as an assassin. In fact, he was more surprised that Roman actually kept this old number in the first place.

"_Awe, and here I thought I was always special to you," _The man said sarcastically before chuckling. "_What's up, got something to say? You've never been the type to call first."_

"Cinder decided that you might need some more muscle for this raid on an incoming Schnee ship inbound for the western Valean harbor," Marcus lied easily. "I got nothing else going on right now and Grassy hair is sorta stuck in Beacon for the moment."

"_Oh really?" _Roman feigned an excited tone, Marcus was able to tell with the way his eyes sparkled in the screen. "_Heh, it'll be just like old times. We always did have a knack for getting things done on our own, didn't we?"_

"We did," Marcus allowed, suppressing the painful memories of his past.

"_H-Hey there, s-snow t-t-top," _Summer very nervously and awkwardly greeted him with a just as emotional smile for the first time.

Marcus stomped down on that memory with a low growl. Roman raised an eyebrow at the sight. "_You alright there buddy?" _He asked.

"I'm fine," Marcus lied, not so easily this time around. "Tell me where to meet you, we can talk more in person. Safer that way."

Roman didn't look like he bought that at all, but he was willing to let it go for the moment. "_I'm actually about to be on my way there now." _He said. "_I might actually have some use for you, these White Fang guys seem to paint you as some sort of boogeyman or some shit, there a story behind that?"_

"Their leader hired me to kill a Schnee or two," Marcus said easily.

"_Cute. Anyway, you being present might just make the animals a little more useful. They'll see that snow colored hair of yours and kick it into overdrive," _Roman laughed when Marcus rolled his eyes. "_I'll send you the address now, see you soon_ _partner_."

The scroll call ended with a click and seconds later Roman shared his current location with him. Marcus looked at it and immediately knew where it was. He nodded his head and stuffed the device back into his pocket. He then grabbed his gloves and made sure the leather armour padding stitched onto the shoulders of his shirt were comfortable on him. Next was his knife and gun, along with some ammo. He was already dressed, so he got ready quickly.

When he left the room, he was just barely outside of the warehouse when he came to a stop, sensing someone watching him.

"Keeping an eye on me now?" Marcus called out into the darkness behind him without even turning around.

"Hm, seems your senses haven't dulled with age." Cinder teased as she revealed herself, sauntering out of the warehouse with her red dress shining in the lowering sunlight. "But to answer your question, I simply found myself curious as to why you are suddenly leaving this building so soon after your last mission. Even you need your rest, after all."

Although he still was a little sore after the other night's ambush, courtesy of Qrow and Vale's special police force. Marcus sustained little to no actual damage to his body. He wasn't surprised that Cinder wasn't concerned for Emerald at all, despite her being the one who gets her ass handed to her and bloodied up. Then again, she didn't need to be. Emerald was brought to an infirmary, and unlike the faux medics the White Fang provides for them rarely, the doctors and nurses over there are going to have her back and at it in no time.

"I'm getting started on that next _task _you gave me," Marcus said, seeing no reason to lie and potentially get himself in trouble. "I'm headed for Roman."

"So soon?" Cinder looked surprised that he actually told her the truth, but she stomped down on any features that could be shown through her expression. Marcus held her gaze, telling her with his eyes as well that what he just said was in fact truthful. "Well then, I assume you have a plan in mind for your old friend?"

"Something like that," Marcus shrugged, half turning to face her. "He said he is going to be headed there pretty soon, so I should be getting a move on."

"Spare another moment for me if you could," Cinder said, suddenly in front of him by the time he turned around. Marcus felt an uncomfortable feeling within his lungs as he met her eye's stare. "Tell me, darling," she said that word with blankness that had Marcus inching his hand toward his weapon out of pure habit. "What kind of plan do you have in mind for our dear Roman? You should know even better than I that he isn't one to be playing games with. I certainly hope you know what you are doing."

Marcus forced himself to relax and kept his demeanor as such as well so that he could explain himself properly. "Roman is smart, really smart. A lot smarter than he is strong. But, there is one weakness that I think only I can exploit; his fondness of his teammates."

Cinder's glare softened, and she crossed her arms. Silently telling him to continue.

And so he did. "You know the story already, we're the only ones left from the old team. I am going to use that against him, and see what I can do." Lies mixed with truths and stirred up together. It was the best way to confuse or manipulate a person. Sometimes both as well.

Cinder bought it, which made him breathe a sigh of relief through his nose.

"I wish you luck then," She said, sauntering up to him, then passed him. As she always did, she traced a finger against his chin, and then went all the way down his neck and across his shoulder until she was too far to reach him comfortably. "Also, remember our little agreement from before. After this raid is settled, our Queen demands you make an audience with her."

"Yeah, sure." Marcus nodded as he walked forward, not even sparing Cinder a second glance as he kept himself moving forward. He knew Cinder was watching him the whole time, but this time he knew it wasn't out of distrust. Well, it was definitely partly out of distrust, but also out of curiosity and maybe the tiniest amount of concern as well. That was amusing, to say the least.

If Cinder didn't use those emotions, then she would have been a lot more dangerous than she is now. Marcus would know. Once he cast his aside, he became a full-time assassin, and the rest is history.

Now, however, it was time to face some of that history, and to dig up some of those long-forgotten emotions.

* * *

Getting to the address that Roman sent him in a message wasn't too difficult. Since it wasn't too late in the night just yet, just around a quarter to eleven, there were still a few people out and about there were some moments where some of those people got a good look at his nice and unique head of white hair. Most didn't care to say anything about it, and he only got looks. Nothing to worry about so far. The average bystander of Vale must have been caught up on the news, and a description of his appearance had to have been made public at this point. That didn't exactly mean that when they actually saw the guy that was wanted by the headmaster of Beacon himself they would actually go and report him. All the stupid what if's going through their heads made them ignorant to the threat he posed. Fools, all of them.

It turned out Roman's little hideout wasn't much of a hideout at all. It was a coffee shop on the outside, and on the inside there were people lounging about and talking. An everyday normal thing to see, something that wouldn't arouse suspicion. At least that would have been the case if Roman himself wasn't just walking around like he owned the place, and to be honest, he probably did. Well, people always did say that the best hiding spot was the one in plain sight, it worked well for him so far. Why stop?

Marcus walked in without knocking or drawing any attention. The men within the 'shop' looked up and looked at him, acknowledged him, looked away, and then looked back up at him again with wide eyes. The men in this shop were a mixed group of Roman's men and some members of the White Fang who didn't mind sharing a drink with a human. They looked at him with shock on their faces, like they just watched a ghost suddenly appear in the middle of the shop.

He scoffed and walked past them, stopping only when he saw one of them actually relax. "Where's Torchwick?" He asked the young woman dawning a mask of the White Fang. "And do no lie to me, I just saw him scampering around from outside."

"I-In the back," The young girl answered him obediently.

"Good girl," Marcus stepped past and pat the faunus on the head, he felt her flinch as he did so, but paid it no mind. "Don't mind me, just hear to make sure you guys don't muck things up and help out. General goodie two shoes is I." He said sarcastically, sensing their fear. Idiots. If he was there to kill them, he wouldn't have literally walked in through the front door like a moron.

He stopped not ten feet away from the back door when he saw a flicker of reality shine in front of him. He waited for that flicker to burst into a full-blown human as Neo stepped out of her little pocket dimension and walked up to him until they were practically nose to nose. Well, as nose to nose you could get while being under five feet tall. Her stone-cold death glare made up for her diminutive stature, however. Her mismatched eyes shifted to an angry color of pure white, the same as his hair. With the small time Marcus has spent working with the girl, he knows that when those eyes are white, she is completely serious.

Her glare asked him what he was really doing there. Marcus smirked down at the small woman and maintained a confident look. The younger generations of assassins really had a prodigy among them, she still didn't look a day out of her teens.

Marcus raised his hands and made wild gestures to them. Well, it was wild gestures to everyone else that was around them, but to Neo, she understood each and every letter in every word he said to her in sign language. He continued to smile the entire time all the way until he put his hands away and into his pockets. A sign to Neo that he wasn't there to cause any trouble. He sorta needed his hands to use his most dangerous weapon after all, his semblance stealing semblance. She stepped back once, eyeing him up and down, and then twirled her umbrella as she circled him in a radius of about one foot. Looking at every nook and cranny of his body.

"If you're looking for a weapon, you're going to find a few." Marcus sighed. "Kinda an ex-master assassin here, you know."

Neo grinned and shrugged her shoulders. Telling him that she wanted to make sure just in case. Then she stepped back once more and drew the sword out of her umbrella. Marcus sighed and readied a stance, and drew a knife of his own.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Roman came out yelling, placing both hands on Neo's shoulders and turning her away before two ex-master assassins came to enter a death battle. "None of that Neo, I'm the one who called him here myself you know."

Neo gasped and pouted at him.

"I didn't tell you because you weren't around to tell in the first place." Roman pointed out with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, Marcus!" He exclaimed, rounding up on the white-haired man and grabbing his hand to shake it vigorously. "Good to see ya man, how are the kids? Wife?"

"Both dead," Marcus answered coldly.

"Oh… my condolences." That, at least earned a grimace of sympathy from the huntsman turned thief. Marcus had a feeling that it would have been much different if Roman knew that he was responsible for his son's death. Being the one lunging the knife into his own son's heart himself. When said outright, it didn't paint a happy picture whatsoever.

"Well then, moving on," Roman cleared his throat. "Everyone! This here is Marcus Black. Yes, that's right, _that _Marcus Black. The boogeyman himself," He continued his announcement to his men. "He's here to help us with our little field trip to the harbor, and you are all to treat him like he is me, or like Neo. He's as dangerous as she is anyway." He scoffed.

"Yes, sir," Most of the men and women parroted.

Marcus smirked out how _enthusiastic _they sounded. Which was just about as much as you could expect.

"Good. Now, we'll be leaving in a few minutes. So everyone get your dicks out of each others asses and let's get a move on!" Without question, or even a come back to Roman's insult, all of his men and the White Fang stood up and ran passed them and through the back door. Marcus backed up to let them through, and raised an eyebrow at the fact that they ran to the back instead of the front, where the exit of the faux coffee shop was.

"Come with me partner," Roman called to him as he started moving, Neo close by his side and keeping an eye on him as he did so. "Let's have a walk and talk, for good ol' times sake."

"Sure," Marcus replied half-heartedly. Going through the double doors and felt impressed by the entire secret little operation going on. There was a massive garage that must have made up most of the building itself, with many vehicles, Bullheads, and even a strange mech suit of sorts dotted around the garage in three or four places. No wonder Roman was so powerful. Just one man had all this influence and power. He wondered what would have happened had Cinder not caught him at all.

"Impressed?" Roman snickered, catching a glance of his barely surprised face. "Yup, this kind of shit is possible when you're smart enough to control the entire criminal underground. With those guys, you and little Em _convinced _to work with us, I am practically the king of Vale! Heh, now this place if truly a kingdom."

"You've been busy." Marcus shrugged. "I didn't expect anything less from you."

"Charmed," Roman snickered, then turned to him suddenly. "Listen here Marcus, we're pals, old friends, we have history, and we have sorta similar upbringings. So I am going to be straight up with you and get straight to the point."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Marcus replied.

"Heh," Roman shut his eyes and took off his hat. "You didn't change _that _much, you know that?" He didn't reply. "But, it's been nearly twenty years man. Things changed between you and me. You became a master assassin and huntsman killer, and I became a criminal mastermind and huntsman fooler. Thing is, as much as I would like to get back that friendship we once had, I don't know if I can trust you anymore." Marcus tensed, but didn't show it. He knew the reason for it anyway, but Roman seemed keen to explain the reason why anyway. "I am sure you know why. Cinder came and mucked all of my plans up almost a year ago. She was a real terror, fire powers and everything. Nearly killed Neo one time." Neo tensed up at what had to be a painful memory. Marcus suddenly felt all the burn marks he sustained from that battle, and could sympathize with the girl. "It's why we don't try and fight back against her anymore, because if she could take on Neo without a sweat, who could beat her? I see you tried once," He poked his collar bone, where the shirt ended there was a dark mark there where Cinder had burned him during their little 'sparring match'. Marcus didn't even flinch back, there was no use hiding it.

"So, you can't even beat her either," Roman said with a rueful grin. "To make it short, I just can't completely trust you to be by my side right now. Now, I'm not saying that I am not going to let you come to the docks with us, but as a catch, Neo here is coming with me." Neo grinned and nodded her head. "Just in case things get a little hairy, she'll come pick us up. You understand, don't you?"

"Of course," Marcus said easily. "I would have become suspicious of you if you instantly started trusting and acting all friends around me right away anyway."

"Great!" Roman got close to him and draped an arm over his shoulders. "We'll have a great time working together then, great you have you back again _partner_."

"Yeah, yeah," Marcus pushed Roman's hand off of him and claimed a vehicle for his own. When the time came, he would drive himself there. He didn't trust any of those idiots to keep their eyes on the road if he was in any of their cars. Roman waved at him through the windshield, and then Neo decided to make herself comfortable in the passenger seat beside him, the glass shards still falling around her even as she safely put on the seat belt, smirking at him the entire time.

Great, she was going to be sticking close to him too. That wasn't going to get annoying at all, or make things any less difficult. Marcus sighed and waited until it was time to move, which shouldn't be much longer from now.

* * *

"Blake! _Blake_!"

"Blake, where are you!?"

"It's almost midnight, come out of hiding already!"

Ruby, Yang, and Weiss were much more worried this time around. It was nearly midnight, and since a few days ago Blake hasn't thought to even send them a message or anything of the sort. Her presence was a mystery, and she left no clues behind as to where she could possibly be hiding. Over time, the rest of her team became more frantic and panicked. Not even Penny knew what to say, the girl they had ran into by chance when Weiss wanted to see the other students come in through the ships at the docks.

"Where could she be?" Was the question of the year. Ruby shook with fear as she wondered what her teammate could have been doing, and irrationally felt that as the leader she was the one to blame for her running away. She should have said something, anything! She didn't care that Blake was a faunus or that she used to be part of the White Fang. What matters is what she's become now, and what she's become is her friend!

"We'll find her Ruby," Yang assured her, wrapping an arm around her little sister's shoulder as a way to calm her down. It worked a little bit, but she could still Ruby was still shaken.

Weiss even calmed down when she noticed that, she has never seen Ruby so panicked before, it was much worse than it was earlier yesterday morning. It was like some kind of switch was pulled. Ruby wasn't the exciteable little obnoxious girl that Weiss has come to be fond of at the moment. She didn't know what to say to make it better. Friends weren't something she was entirely adept in.

Yang tried, oh she tried. They all knew what the problem was, Ruby was afraid that somehow by chance the man that her uncle couldn't defeat was going to find Blake and hurt her. It made it worse that despite them saying that the chances are way too slim for it to come to pass, their leader still felt the worst of it.

"Come on, let's go." Her suddenly older leader said as she stepped out of Yang's hold. "It's Saturday, so we can look through the night. Maybe she is sleeping during the day to throw us off."

They knew that most likely wasn't the case. But they weren't going to deny Ruby's order. If she wanted to look until the sun rose into the sky again, then she wasn't going to be doing it alone. Especially with what must be going through her head right now, they were afraid that she would do something stupid. In both the cases that they found Blake or didn't find Blake.

* * *

"This is the place?" Marcus asked as he stepped out of the vehicle, Roman stepping out of one of the passenger seats behind him as Neo simply teleported out of it simply because she could. The question would have seemed to be worthy of an obvious answer, but Neo decided it would be fun to mislead him by directing him to the incorrect part of the docks, three times. This time, he didn't trust her and followed the other vehicles. Even when he saw Bullheads quietly settle down on the docks, he still had to make sure.

"Yep, we're here now," Roman said with a laugh, knowing all too well what Neo was putting his old partner through earlier. "Sorry for Neo, she is just a little protective of me."

"You think?" Marcus asked as if it should have been obvious. He looked to Neo, who simply huffed silently and flicked her chin away from him with a pout. He wasn't about to get any apologies from her anytime soon. "Does she know about our history?"

"She does," Roman said, nodding his head. "Still doesn't trust you, as you would have noticed by now. Even knowing that you probably might now hurt me, she still wants to make sure. Don't take it personally, she's like that with everyone."

Only that Neo also knew that he was a master assassin and knew hundreds of ways to kill a person on top of that. Yeah, it was little wonder why she would be cautious around him. Marcus even felt stupid to have asked the question.

"Right," He said, moving on. "What's next then, help store all the dust?"

"Haha, no, you and I are too smart to be lowered to something like grunt work," Roman said as he twirled his cane. "Nah, we're here to make sure they don't blow themselves up loading the shit while looking out for any signs of trouble. Since you _and _Neo are here though, you two are going to be the ones to deal with any of that trouble."

"Of course," Marcus sighed, already prepared to end a life or two this night. Despite the compliments, he knew that he would probably make the people working for Roman here all the more nervous. Probably also the real reason why Roman doesn't want him around them. He understood that much at least, he wasn't a totally unreasonable person.

"So, you two sit up there or something," Roman pointed up to the top of a group of storage containers, where the highest part was probably twenty-thirty feet off of the ground, giving them a birds-eye view of the entire docks practically. "And I'll deal with the rest. If all goes well, you'll be bored up there."

"Sounds like a plan," Marcus turned to Neo with a smirk.

_Looks like we're going to be working together again. _He signed to her.

Neo replied by scoffing and fading away, appearing again at the top of the containers while patting the empty spot next to her. Marcus rolled his eyes and started climbing the old fashioned way up the ladders on the sides of each of the containers, taking his time to make sure he wasn't going to slip or anything. That would certainly be an interesting way for his story to end if he did just fall to his death right here. Once he made it to the top, he sat next to Neo, but an arms-length apart from her. They were both content with being near each other at least.

Time passed for what felt like an hour, when in reality it was just about half of one. Neo gave up on watching and was now playing a game on her scroll, getting really invested in it as she even held a focused expression with her tongue poking out of her mouth through the corner. Marcus kept his gaze entirely on what was happening around him. The White Fang were idiots, as always, but Roman's men seemed to actually have a head on their shoulders. Handling the dust safely and marking each of the containers that had just the perfect amount of dust within them. If things did go south, Marcus knew who to keep more of his attention on.

After an actual hour passed by, it was about one in the morning and the shattered moon was shining bright in the sky. Neo threw a crumb into Marcus' face and pointed in a specific direction. Marcus narrowed his eyes at her before looking in that direction, and then snickered when he noticed what she was referring too.

There was a pair of teenagers sneaking in, but not just any ordinary teenagers. Ordinary teenagers didn't have weapons on them, most of the time, anyway. There was a black-haired girl with a bow of the same color sneaking around with a blonde boy, who was _much _more noticeable than she was following close by. Two huntsmen in training. They climbed on top of one of the nearby buildings and laid prone on top of it. Invisible to the White Fang they were above us, but stuck out like a sore thumb to Marcus and Neo.

"Well, well, well," Marcus stood up and cracked his knuckles. "Looks like we have a nosy bunch. Want to go have a chat with them?"

Neo didn't even respond, she was still too invested in her scroll game.

"Sure, sure, I'll go handle it then," Marcus said with a sigh. Figures, he was going to have to be the one to get rid of the two. It wasn't like it would be difficult, professional huntsman came and went around him plenty of times. Two of them in training weren't going to be much of a challenge.

_Time to go handle a stray…_ Marcus thought to himself as he hopped down from his high position quietly, and started making his way to the two intruders.

* * *

**Uh Oh, looks like Blake and Sun attracted the wrong kind of attention. Sucks for them, now they got Marcus tailing them. This particular part of the story is going to be the most action-packed so far, while also instilling some more backstory and lore for a certain character. If anything, I believe the next chapter is going to be the most liked chapter so far. Now after some time, I'll get to see if I am right about that or not.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far.**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	11. Chapter 11

**We are back with the second to last chapter of Volume 1 of this story. You know, it's strange. Two of my other stories also have just completed Volume 1, and this is going to make three. It will after the next chapter. Let's see what happens here, because man, those of you who like darker RWBY themes, you're going to love this chapter. You'll see what I mean soon enough.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 11**

* * *

_I can't forget about the annoying little kitty cat that started becoming a nuisance, or the trouble she brought along with her…_

Marcus snuck around in the darkness as he circled the building that the two little strays Neo spotted hanging out on the roof of a nearby building. His white hair blended well with the black light and it was just far too easy for him to get around them. Neither of them seemed to consider that they'd get caught before they could do anything. Amateurs. That's what the young, bold, and stupid get, a knife in the back.

To make it worse, the supposed next generation of huntsman started to bicker with each other in silenced whispers. Really? That was no way to sneak around anywhere much less during a White Fang raid that he was supposedly leading according to public opinion. His name was out there, and he's been painted as worse than Grimm, so why were these two acting like they weren't in any danger at all. Danger was literally lurking around them as they spoke in the form of a master assassin.

"Blake don't, please, going down there and making noise isn't going to do you any good. The White Fang aren't what you remember." A young masculine voice said, assumingly the one with the monkey tail.

"And how do you know that? If you were with them at the same time I was, you would know that they would never work with skum like Torchwick." 'Blake' replied. She must have been the girl with the bow.

Idiots. Marcus almost gave himself away when he had to resist the urge to chuckle as he quietly climbed up the backside of the building. It had a flat roof, and very little cover, but he didn't become a master assassin for not being observant. He could see them now as he poked his head up over the ledge, and carefully hoisted himself up. He used the same ladder that they used to get up here, and his touchdown was as expertly silent as he wanted it to be. The two teens didn't even hear him make his way to them.

"Do you not see how many of those guys are down there?" The blonde kid said. Easily having a more useful brain in between his ears than the other did.

"I can take care of them, they won't shoot me." Blake snapped back.

"Are you kidding me!? Didn't you ditch them during a mission or something? They'll absolutely shoot you on sight."

"You don't understand Sun, they'll hesitate, and perhaps I can get them to turn against Roman."

Geez. Just how delusional was this girl? Marcus had half a mind just to stand back and listen to whatever it was that was next they were going to bicker about. But it quickly got annoying as he listened to the two go back and forth with each other. First, the girl actually tried to hop off the building and right behind where Torchwick was standing, who had to know what was going on up here, the guy was way too smart to not be able to tell that they were right above his head. The monkey boy caught her by the arm and pulled her back, which lead to a death glare, and Marcus realizing that he was daydreaming a little too much. He stood with his arms crossed and with his sharp knife in one hand, and after snapping out of his stupor he saw a pair of yellow eyes staring back at him with shocked recognition. After a moment, the blonde kid noticed him too, and they both drew their weapons and aimed them at him in preparation for a battle.

"Who are you? Friend or foe?" Sun asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Marcus was about to answer, but was beaten to the punch.

"He is a foe," Blake told him, her hand suddenly shaking as she took a step back away from the white-haired man.

"Ah, I see you've heard of me." Marcus mocked a boy as he uncrossed his arms and cracked his neck. "The news paint me as some kind of monster? You're practically shaking in your boots." He smirked when she glared at him and tried to get her shaking under control, and to her credit, she succeeded in doing that.

"What?" Sun tilted his head in confusion. "I don't get it, who are you?"

"He is a dangerous man," Blake warned her ally. "He has killed countless officers, hunters, and has caused chaos within the criminal underworld of Vale. His name is Marcus Black."

"Oh…" Sun gulped nervously. "That's good to know."

"Damn," Marcus was mildly impressed with her knowledge. "You really are informed, aren't ya? Well, since you know so much about me," He flashed his knife. "You should know that the two of you are in a place you shouldn't be. I'll give you one warning, and one warning only. You have no hope of beating me. Leave." His glare took a step toward death as he turned his body sideways to the two hunters in training, his stance was full of openings, but neither of the teens were brave enough to prod at any of those two openings. Marcus could have just gone at them right away, he knew he was good enough to beat them both at the same time, and by the looks of it the faunus hiding her features under a bow knew that as well. That look of regret in her eyes told him that. It reminded him of Mercury back during that night…

"How do we know you'll just let us go?" Blake asked him.

Marcus just had to sigh. Again with these types, always thinking they could win an impossible battle. His answer came only in the form of a shrug. There weren't any more words he was willing to waste on them.

"Damn… and here I thought I'd die in the arms of a hot girl at the age of eighty." Sun said with a wavering smirk as he held his ground.

He saw it in a flash, Blake aimed her weapon at him, and while it was still in its bladed form Marcus had enough experience fighting all different kinds of huntsman and huntresses who used mecha-shift weapons. He shot forward like a flash of white and red right as she squeezed down on the trigger once, only for the bullet to wildly miss. She widened her eyes and tried to will her semblance to come and replace her main body, but the man was just way too fast. She felt the barrel of his gun stab into her stomach and screamed out in pain as her black aura took the full blast of a hand cannon point-blank. The chaotic blast sound drew the attention of the White Fang and Roman, and if for some reason that wasn't enough, then the ones below the building on ground level would no doubt witness the way Blake's body slammed into the ground and bounce up into one of the metal storage containers.

"Blake!" Sun cried out his concern, he twisted his body just fast enough to block Marcu's knife from cutting into his shoulder. Marcus holstered his gun with great haste and grabbed on to the red staff. The blonde faunus cursed as he felt pressure on his wrist force his fingers to loosen their grip on the weapon, and after Marcus pushed into him with his shoulder he completely let go. Now disarmed, Marcus threw the staff off the building and rushed the faunus. He was way too fast for Sun to defend against him, and after two slashes to the shoulder and collarbone, he spun around and slammed the heel of his boot into the faunus' torso. Throwing him off the building right near where Blake landed.

Marcus retracted his leg back and casually jumped off the building, landing on his feet and right beside a startled group of White Fang members and Roman. "Having fun?" The criminal asked him as he huffed a puff of smoke into his lungs from his cigar.

"More or less," Marcus shrugged. "These two idiots thought they could have an argument during some kind of stealth mission. I'll handle them."

"Ah, I've been there before. Good times, good times." Roman said as he started walking off. But stopped before he could get anywhere far. "Oh, and don't kill 'em. I know it might be tempting, but I don't need any more heat than what I already got, capisce?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Marcus rolled his eyes. "You should be telling that to your little pet."

"Oh please, you might have worked with Neo, but I've been living with her. She only kills when she feels like it." Roman laughed, and pointedly did not say whether or not she was going to be helping Marcus at all to handle the two teens. Not that he needed it, but it would have been nice for him to at least make the offer. "Good luck!"

"Yeah, sure." Marcus whistled a boring tune as he made his way toward the two dumb hunters, who had just helped each other stand back up to face him. The girl managed to hold on to her weapon, but her ally was firmly disarmed with Marcus between him and his weapon. Their auras shouldn't be too tanked out, despite his attempts to hit them in points on their bodies where their auras would have to work extra hard in order to shield their bodies from attack, they should be relatively healthy right now. But after that first scuffle, they knew what kind of man they were dealing with now.

That didn't stop them from looking to each other, sharing knowing thoughts, and then nodded their heads in mutual agreement to fight together against Marcus Black despite that huge difference in skill. Marcus expected that hunters were always like that. Always with that 'the good guys always win' mentality. So stupid, he had firsthand experience from both sides that the saying couldn't be any further from the truth.

"Alright," Marcus taunted them by flipping his knife in one hand, and beckoning them to come at him with the other. "What happens next?"

What happened next was a mildly glorious attempt to try and fight him. Sun and Blake certainly did their best, but it was nowhere near enough to beat him. In the beginning, the black-haired one attacked him head-on and used some kind of cloning semblance. It caught him off guard at first when he tried to grab the girl by the face and steal whatever semblance away she had before she could use it, but was surprised when instead his hand went right through her face, and she actually managed to land a scratch on him before he could react fast enough to counter her. That trick only worked once though, he didn't let himself get caught off guard by the semblance a second time and thought of a way to counter it the second time it came around.

When the girl let out a clone to take an attack she didn't want to tank, she would always leave a shadow in the direction she dodged in. She could only go left, right, behind, or above, and with Marcu's natural senses on top of that, he knew where she was going to be every time she used it.

The blonde kid made his job a little harder when he managed to run and get his weapon back. He'd been distracted enough to let it happen. It did little to sway to the direction of the battle, however. Marcus toyed with them. Once he learned the patterns and rhythms at which the two fought with each other, he quickly learned that they did not really know how to fight with each other at all. Their styles were so much different as well, one was more oriented in fast get in and out melee combat and the other was up in your face blitzing form of fighting. Though the latter seemed to have been more self-taught than anything. It was interesting to fight against the crazy mirage of red nunchucks with some kind of miniature shotguns at the end of the rods, but he wasn't able to keep up his streak for long. Marcus made quick work of him and immediately went on to deal with the other faunus.

Now after a few minute battle, if one could even call it that, Sun and Blake were now just barely staying on their feet. One of the monkey's nunchucks was broken into two pieces on the ground, and the girl exhausted herself trying to use her semblance over and over. They both just managed to avoid getting grabbed by him so far though, so they had that going for them. The boy didn't seem willing to use his semblance just yet either, but with how tired he was he didn't look like he had enough power left to even activate it.

"Well, you lasted long enough, I suppose," Marcus said as he crossed his arms. "That semblance of yours is annoying, but in the end, it just wasn't enough. It never is with you people."

"Damn it," Blake cursed through her teeth. "He's just toying with us. He hasn't even used his main weapon that much." Throughout the fight, Marcus continued to use just his hand cannon and fists to deal with them, and Blake had a feeling that once he drew that long knife of his, blood will begin to spill. She wouldn't be wrong of course, if from what she's heard about the man before her then even Adam would have much trouble trying to take him down, if he could at all.

"You're right on the money there," Marcus said as he placed his hands on his hips. "The only reason you're not dead right now is because that would bring more trouble than it's worth. A real pain." He aimed his gun at them and unsheathed his knife from his hip holster, Sun and Blake tensed up but didn't try to retaliate. "Give up and walk away, you can't win and if you piss me off I can't guarantee that I won't paralyze you. I'll give you a few seconds to decide."

His finger slowly squeezed down on the trigger, Sun was the only one to notice.

It was a dirty move, he knew it was. But he pulled the trigger and his hand cannon fired with an explosive boom anyway. It wasn't like he lied to them anyway, he did give them a few seconds before he pulled the trigger. He was aiming for the black-haired girl, since she was the one who had more aura than the monkey boy, but he didn't expect that monkey boy to be fast enough to notice and react in time before the bullet could hit his little girlfriend. Sun dove to the sit and took the bullet straight into the right side of his chest, what little remained of his aura shattered around the impact point of the bullet and it went straight through him.

"Agh!" Sun screamed as he fell to the ground leaking blood from his chest and back where the bullet entered and exited through his body.

"Sun!" Blake dropped to her knees and immediately applied pressure to the wound. "Oh no, please no, hang in there!"

"He'll survive," Marcus groaned as he blew at the smoking barrel of his gun. Blake's yellow tear-filled eyes glared hatred at him. "Kids these days can survive anything, worst he's got is a punctured lung, it entered through the right side of his chest, see?" He pointed to the wound, Blakes eyes wandered to the entry point of the bullet almost against her will. Sun was in a bad shape, he was having trouble breathing and blood was leaking out of his body. He could survive in this state for minutes or even up to an hour. Being a huntsman in training, his body would be more robust as well, giving him even more time. Plenty of time to get him help, and he was already in agonizing pain. Sun was already losing unconscious as it was now.

"Damn you…" Blake said, able to piece together what the man was forcing her to do. "You're going to make me choose."

"Ding, ding, ding." Marcus taunted her with that cocky grin of his. "I was aiming for you, but this works just the same. Granted you _could _just hang around until helps arrives, but can he last that long?"

"You're a monster." Blake hissed.

"I am," Marcus easily agreed. "I've done unspeakable things, and I've probably been killing longer than you've been alive kid." He chuckled bitterly. "Used to be a huntsman myself once upon a time too, did a really good job at showing me how they fight."

Blake felt an explosion of fear fill her to her very core. This man… this thing… was even more dangerous than the news portrayed him as, and the look in his eyes told her that everything he just said was right. He was a killer, and those black eyes only supported that claim. She and Sun stood no chance against him since the very beginning, that was much more crystal clear now. As much as she wanted to slash that sick grin off of his face, Sun needed immediate medical attention as soon as possible, or else he was going to die. She just met the boy not even a day ago, and he laid his life down on the line for her. Blake wouldn't just let his undeserved loyalty squander like this.

Shakily, she gripped Gambol Shroud in one hand and aimed it at Marcus, his grin died a slow death and his eyes took a dark look. "You'll just shoot me in the back when we try to leave," Blake said. "I can take your word, I won't, and put my friend's life on the line."

"You pull that trigger, I'm killing you both," Marcus warned, there wasn't any sign of bluffing in the way he spoke.

Blake smirked for what she felt was going to be the last time. "If I don't pull the trigger, you'll just kill me anyway."

He actually wasn't, but if she wanted to be an idiot, then so be it. Marcus' knife flashed into his left hand and he dared the girl to shoot him with his glare. She hesitated, obviously, she knew that once she shot her gun her life was over. Marcus wondered why she was doing this, stalling, the White Fang already loaded a few of the containers on some of the Bullheads and they were already off, and they were getting even more. Even if she fired some magic bullet that killed him, it wasn't going to stop anything. So why bother? Why even consider fighting in a position like this? Her friend was dying in her arms, she was exhausted on aura, and she was still fighting him. Why?

"_That's what we do." _Her voice answered him tauntingly. "_As long as there is a flicker of hope in sight, we huntsman and huntresses will always keep fighting. No matter how bleak the situation maybe."_

"Tch…" His face scrunched up and he dashed to the side the moment he saw the reflection of green light coming from behind him, some kind of small energy beam cut through the container in front of him, and Blake ducked low and hugged Sun's form as the beam flowed right above her for about two more seconds. He rolled once he hit the ground and swung his knife to parry a sword out of the air. The sword had no wielder, however, and it was pulled back by some kind of force toward some ginger girl off in the distance.

His frustration turned into irritation as he quickly learned that the girl wasn't alone either. A blur of red was zig-zagging toward him while firing some kind of longarm sniper behind them, and it spun like a cyclone as it got closer and closer to him. His knife lashed out and he had to tense his muscles tightly to disperse the force of the strike of a much longer blade. He skid back and bounced himself off the wall of the building the other two were on earlier and held his ground against the blur of red who took on a human form.

He couldn't help but chuckle, it was the same girl from before.

Ruby Rose took a defensive stance in front of Blake and the downed Sun, her large scythe and sniper combo swung around her body and in a diagonal cross across her body. Her silver eyes stared straight into black and her hood flapped in the wind. Across from her at an angle was another girl, this one with ginger hair and green eyes. Neither of them looked happy to see him.

"Looks like the cavalry arrived," Marcus said, smirking despite being outnumbered. "And you, Little Red right?"

"My name is Ruby." Ruby corrected him sternly.

"Ruby? What are you doing here!?" Blake called out to her leader.

"I should be asking you that question!" Ruby shouted at her, her loud booming voice caught the faunus girl off guard, making her click her mouth shut in submission. The fifteen-year-old girl before her suddenly looked much too intimidating, and after what she did there was nothing she thought she could say to her. "You ran off without saying anything to us, and then you come here and try to stop a raid all by yourself!"

"Stay down." She said next, stopping Blake before she could even open her mouth to stop. "Or try and get that guy help, he looks like he needs it."

"Just… a little." Sun groaned with a bloody smile on his face. "Kinda hard trying to breathe with only one lung… I would like to have the other back pretty soon."

"Don't speak, idiot," Blake said as she continued to hold pressure on his wound. "I can't move him like this."

"Good thing Penny called the police before we got here then," Ruby said with a triumphant smirk. "We'll just have to hold out until my uncle and his men get here."

"You can't fight him!" Blake shrieked. "He's too strong, dangerous, you're going to get yourself killed!"

"We cannot defeat him," Penny added, agreeing with Blake. "Marcus Black is considered hyper lethal by Atlesian standards. Being combat ready will not be enough here."

"That doesn't matter!" Ruby said. "We don't need to beat him, we just need to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The rest of my team is going to be here soon, until then I know we can hold out.

"As you say, friend Ruby," Penny said with a content smile. "We shall fight together." Ruby nodded back, grateful for Penny's support. Blake didn't say anything, couldn't. There was nothing she could say to make this better. She didn't even have anything she could say about Marcus' fighting style, all she could say was be careful, and in a situation like this those words meant nothing.

"You..." Ruby took a step toward Marcus, who raised an eyebrow at being addressed. "Why are you doing this?" She asked him. She wasn't shaking like her teammate was, she stood steadfast against him like he was just another criminal. But instead of attacking him like any normal person would, she stopped and tried to speak to him.

"Money," Marcus shrugged. "I'm retiring soon, so this is going to be my final contract. Gotta make sure I end off with a bang, y' know?"

"No… I didn't mean that." Ruby said, eyes suddenly looking more sadly at him. "You know my uncle, right? He told me about you, about what you used to be."

"Did he now…" Marcus' smirk faded. "Should have expected that, I guess."

"I know you used to be a huntsman, and I know you weren't always like this." Ruby continued. "You had friends, family, and a drive to do good in the world. What happened to that? What happened to the promises you made? Why are you doing this?"

"Life happened, kid." Marcus nearly shouted. "Don't talk to me like you know me, I've been an assassin even during those times. I'm not someone who you can try and make 'see the light'. It isn't happening, stop being so damn idealistic. Nothing good in the world comes without a price." He gestured to himself, placing a hand on his chest over his heart. "I paid that toll a long time ago, and this is a result of living that life."

"It's never too late to change," To his shock, Ruby shifted her weapon back to it's holstered state. "I know I don't know you, but I still think there is at least a flicker of good in you. I could be wrong, and you could kill me here and now to prove that. But I want to at least try to reach out to you." She literally did that much extending a hand out to him, faced up, beckoning him to grab it.

"What are you doing?" Marcus asked, looking at the hand and then back into her eyes. He felt… something. But he didn't move from where he was standing.

"There's still hope for you… I just know it." Ruby said with a smile.

"_I know there's good in you, I've seen it." _

"I don't think you're really a monster," Ruby added.

"_You aren't a monster. You never were, not to me."_

"You…" Marcus glared blankly at the young girl reaching out to him. A man like him didn't deserve any amount of sympathy. He's killed countless men, women, people he once cared about… even his own son. Yet she was still claiming that she thought there was hope for him. She didn't even _know _him. If she knew the things he's done… no, she shared the last name as _her_, and Qrow most likely didn't hold back on telling her what he is like. He took a step forward, he saw from his peripheral vision that the ginger girl got ready to attack him if he did anything offensive, and the faunus girl behind Ruby was just begging her friend to get away from him with that look in her eyes. But the silver-eyed Ruby Rose simply stood there, hand outstretched, and with wide eyes as she thought he was actually going to accept her proposal. She looked… happy, for some reason.

He got within ten feet of her and stopped. Suddenly, that smile on her face wasn't quite so bright.

Not for him. This wasn't for him. He had it once and lost that chance a long time ago.

"You sound just like your mother." He said once he looked back up to see her face and gauge her reaction.

His gun raised a second later, and Crescent Rose's rectangular holstered form was raised up to defend Ruby's body. The bullet that he fired was hastily parried out of the air, and before he could move in to follow up on his attack he had to back up and defend himself from a mirage of flying blades that came at him. Sparks flew through the air as he slashed at each one and knocked a few of them out of the air. Their edges hit the ground and slashed right through the pavement like butter. He pushed forward and deflected one more before getting up close and personal to the green-eyed girl. She was hardly able to get a hasty defense up before he slammed his knife across her aura, bringing across a trail of green aura that spilled onto the ground before it faded away into nothingness.

Penny didn't cry out, nor show any signs of her actually feeling pain. She simply stared blankly at the assassin as he stared back with a confused expression. Ruby came into screaming, however, so there was no time to think about it when he was forced to dodge away from a large mecha shift scythe that was even bigger than the girl's body. He was too strong for her to overpower, so she shot backward before his hand could grab her face. Despite his lethality, she was still faster than him.

"I don't understand!" She shouted, once again trying to speak to him. "Why are you doing this when-"

"Shut the fuck up and FIGHT!" Marcus cut her off as he shot unloaded his hand cannon in the girl's direction. Ruby dodged and weaved while using her semblance to dodge the bullets, noticing that they aren't dust rounds, they were actual real steel bullets. There was no elemental effect to them, but the physical impact would be enough to leave a bruise even through aura. It had some use against Grimm, but the elemental rounds were much more effective. Which made sense for a man like him who had to have fought many more people than monsters in his lifetime.

Ruby felt the bullets whiz past her head and pierce through the containers behind her. She landed on one foot but stumbled forward, a terrifying mistake when an assassin was charging at you with a knife. She couldn't get her scythe back up in time, and after a glance toward Penny, she could see that the girl was busy herself fighting against members of the White Fang and even Roman Torchwick as they returned to help deal with them. She didn't even know that they were there until she heard the sounds of their fighting.

_Crud! I messed up! _The girl thought as her weapon was torn from her hands. He was just so _strong_. No matter how tight she made her hands grip the shaft of Crescent Rose, she just couldn't hold on to it when he grabbed it and pulled. She was going forward with her momentum as well, and after a quick judgment on Penny's fighting style, even if she would have been able to try and save her, she couldn't without accidentally putting her in harm's way as well. All she could do was watch as Marcus pushed into her guard, and the tiny amount of unarmed combat training her sister put her through was nowhere near enough to save her here.

He had her right where he wanted her. Marcus slammed his fist into the girl's face and then made to grab her. If it wasn't for her speed semblance, he would have stolen her that power with his semblance when he tried to grab her by the face with the exposed palm of his hand. Ruby skidded back on her butt and pushed up against a storage container, silver eyes wide with fright as Marcus Black loaded his gun in less than a second aimed his hand cannon at her.

_Oh no, I can't get out of the way! _Ruby thought as she tightened her eyes and waited for bursts of pain all over her body.

Pain didn't come for her. Marcus had the gun aimed at her, that Penny girl just finished shouting out her friend's name and his finger was on the trigger, all he had to do was pull the trigger and this annoying girl would be dealt with. There was no point in keeping an annoyance like her alive. His finger slowly squeezed down on the trigger, but way too slowly.

_Just shoot you idiot! _His mind cursed at him.

Those silver eyes cracked open to look at him. They looked pleading, and vulnerable.

Marcus cursed and swung his arm to the right toward the sound of sprinting feet coming their way. His bullets were blocked by two yellow gauntlets and a wall of ice. He unloaded the clip, but found that it was useless against the two newcomers and prepared himself for some close-quarters combat. The blonde screamed angrily as she jumped up and threw a solid hay-maker his way. He caught the offending fist with the palm of his hand and let himself be pushed away. His back smashed against the wall of the building and he bounced off, only to be forced to let his body fall forward so he could dodge a spear of ice lancing toward his neck.

"They just keep coming…" He spit excess saliva out of his mouth with a frustrated look on his face. "I should have just killed them when I had the chance."

Two more girls, one the blonde girl with purple eyes that just punched him, and the white-haired Schnee he instantly recognized as the heiress of the SDC. He was offered a few contracts to kill her a few years ago, but he didn't take them. He'd already given himself a kill on sight warrant by the Atlesian police after killing the girl's uncle for the White Fang, and wasn't entirely willing to head back there after that. By the looks of it, she knew who he was too. Glaring at him with those ice-blue eyes of hers.

"You okay sis?" Yang asked her sister after looking over her shoulder.

"Y-yeah…" Ruby said as she stood up and grabbed Crescent Rose.

"Good." Yang focused all her attention on the man before her. "Weiss-cream, this guy related to you or something?" She griped. "His hair is as white as yours."

"Absolutely not, this man is Marcus Black," Weiss stated. "He is the one responsible for some of my family members deaths."

"Oh…" Yang suddenly looked sorry for her earlier joke. "Sorry about that."

"How many more of you people are going to come by?" Marcus asked with a chuckle. "First it was those two idiot faunus, then it was the ginger and Little Red, and now it's blondie and the heiress of the SDC."

"Silence you!" Weiss exclaimed, pointing Myrtenaster in his direction. "For the crimes you have committed, you will be taken down _tonight_."

"Hah, I heard that plenty of times throughout my life," Marcus said as he took a stance, looking not at them but _through _them for some reason. Almost like he was looking past them instead. For Marcus, it was a strategy of using every bit of vision space he had to see multiple opponents coming at him at once, and in situations like these, it really did work numbers.

"Then tonight will be the last time you hear it," Yang said as she slammed her fists together. "Is Blake and that guy okay?" She asked as her semblance activated. This was Marcus Black, the same guy who was apparently responsible for most of the bad things happening in Vale. According to Qrow, he was a hunter killer as well. Which meant there was no reason to hold back.

Blake and Sun put up a thumbs-up gesture to reassure them.

An explosion beside them and a ginger girl blasting out of the smoke averted their attention. Penny withstood the damage and skidded back toward the girls, her glare hardened and some of her blades damaged. Through the smoke, Roman Torchwick stepped out and made to stand with Marcus, and some of the White Fang were at his back.

"Man, since when did this operation become a daycare center?" Roman quipped as he looked toward all of the huntresses in training. "Having trouble Marky?"

"Not really," Marcus groaned. "They just keep coming, and someone told me I wasn't allowed to kill."

"That's my bad, sorry about that." Roman laughed. "To make up for it, here's what I'll do. Think you can take blondie and Little Red on your own?"

"Heh," Marcus smirked. "Yeah."

"Then in that case… Neo! Come down and take care of the Schnee girl already!" Roman called out.

"Look out!" Ruby shouted as she saw shards of glass fall to the ground just behind Weiss. The Schnee heiress turned around just in time to raise her sword in time to deflect another sword of the same size and stature. Neo's pink and brown hair waved in the wind as she continued pushing forward, and then actually took Weiss with her with another use of her semblance, taking her on top of the building Blake and Sun were previously hiding out on.

"Weiss!" Ruby called up to her, but the sounds of fighting were enough for her to know that her teammate was okay.

"I'll go help her!" Penny said as she started running toward the building.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Roman got in her way, aiming at her with his cane once again. "Your fight is with me girly. You're not getting away from me that easily."

He pulled the trigger and Penny was forced to dodge away from her other allies. More puffs of smoke were blown up, and sounds of chaos were heard on the other side as Penny took on Torchwick and the White Fang on her own. Ruby and Yang were left as the only ones still standing up against Marcus Black, who just now yawned as he took a combat stance himself.

"Wait," Ruby said before Yang could attack. Her older sister raised an eyebrow but obeyed, wondering what her sister had planned.

"Kid, you're kidding me right?" Marcus asked her. "There's no reasoning with me, just draw your weapon and try to kill me."

"What you said earlier…" Ruby said, ignoring his demands. "You said I sounded just like my mother…" Yang perked up and widened her eyes with shock, looking toward Marcus to see if this was true. His eyes told her that it was. "What did you mean by that?"

"I mean that you sound like her," Marcus said unenthusiastically. "As in literally. Your voices are practically the same." They knew it was a lie, and he knew they knew that as well. He just hardly cared for it.

"Were you the one who…" Ruby looked at him with sorrowful eyes. "Did you… kill her?" She finally made herself ask.

Marcus shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. That question, those eyes, and her general appearance made him remember what she was like all that time ago. "It's funny," He said, a conflicted smile drawing upon his face. "That's the first time someone actually bothered to ask me that question."

Ruby's breath hitched.

"I'll tell you what, kids," Marcus said as he started walking toward them. "You're her daughters, right? Both of you, I could see a bit of Tai in ya blondie. It's in the hair." Yang clenched her fists tight with anger, her eyes blinking to red as she grew more tense. "If you two somehow manage to beat me, I'll tell you all you want to know about Summer Rose. That's a promise."

"Ragh! Then we'll just have to beat it out of you!" Yang finally snapped, blasting forward with Ember Celica to give herself some bonus momentum as she lunged toward the white-haired man like a missile all on her own.

"Yang wait!" Ruby cried out as she snapped out of her stupor. The man's words were powerful despite being said in such a casual crude way. But the knowledge that Yang didn't stand a chance against him on her own was able to break her out of that. If they managed to beat him, they would finally learn about what happened to their mom… that just added another reason why Marcus needed to get captured.

By the time Ruby began to move, Yang was already three-quarters of the way to Marcus, who by that time already had more than enough time to prepare himself to fight off the blonde brawler. Right away, as she wildly missed her first attack and slammed it into the wall behind him, he knew that she was reckless and couldn't control her power when she was angry. It made her unpredictable, but very countable. He gauged her attacks as he dodged, deflected and ducked under her punches, she threw a kick at him every so often, but he was always able to avoid or block it. Marcus saw a large opening window when Yang threw a punch that was a little too wide to be thrown safely, and countered heavily as he slammed the handle of his knife into her nose.

As the blonde went down like a sack of bricks, the blur of red that was Ruby Rose attacked straight after. There was no time to rest nor really consider what move he should take. But out of trust for his instincts, he was able to block the incoming curved blade with his aura encased forearm, and was able to bear the force of the sniper part of her weapon firing point-blank into his shoulder. Ruby flipped off of his chest and landed on her feet. Yang hopped back up to hers beside her, and together the two sisters charged him down.

Against a force like that most men would have shit their pants, the two girls obviously knew how to fight well together from what Marcus could see. So he would have to try a little harder in order to survive their next attack. He crossed his arms and redirected Yang's first fist, and bent his back in an odd angle to duck under Ruby's scythe. Then the other fist from Yang came, and he was forced to block that one, and as he held on to that hand she aimed at him with her other gauntlet. He grit his teeth and snapped his next to the side to avoid a blast of shotgun pellets that might have torn his face apart, and Ruby kicked him in the side to push him away from her sister before he could grab the exposed part of her arm.

They shouldn't know about his semblance just yet, besides himself, Cinder and Emerald, there was nobody else in the world who knew what he was able to do. He doubted Cinder would have told anyone of her strongest pawn's greatest strength either. He would have liked to end the fight quickly, break their spirits and all that, but anyone related to Summer Rose would never give up, even if they lost their arms and legs.

Steeling himself, he braced his knife arm underneath his firearm and fired four bullets, two at each of the sisters. That split them apart. He aimed for Ruby's feet, and managed to trip her up with his bullets. That left the blonde to come at him all by herself for a few precious seconds. Those few seconds were all that he needed. Yang was the reckless one, so she did the reckless thing and thought she could take him on her own. Knowing her fighting style already, he ducked underneath Yang's fist and threw his own punch over her overextended arm. Cracking it against her face and aura and stunning her mildly. She recovered and tried to throw a roundhouse kick at him, but his late son Mercury was much better at throwing kicks than she was, and so he allowed the kick to strike his guard and then caught the limb between his shoulder and forearm. Then quickly, before Yang could punish him for what is mostly considered to be a foolish move.

He pushed her leg up above his own head, and as flexible as Yang was, she was still knocked off balance with the sudden movement. She fell but caught herself on her hands in a mock handstand. "Let go!" She shouted as she tried to twist her body to force his grip off of her.

"Be careful what you wish for," Marcus replied as he hoisted her up into the air and then _threw _her into the wall. Yang impacted face first and aura flashed all over her body. He rushed forward to capitalize on her stunned state but Ruby got in his way.

"Get away from her!" Ruby exclaimed as she swung her scythe quickly and without any sign of slowing down. Marcus dodged and backpedaled further and further as she continued her unrelenting assault. She was fast, incredibly fast. Impossibly fast. It had to be a semblance. No human could ever get this fast, no matter how much training they put themselves through, this level of speed was just impossible for human standards.

Given time he could probably tire the girl out or disarm her, but there wasn't time to fuck around with. Qrow was on his way and most likely he had those annoying aura wielding policemen with him. Which meant he needed to end this, and soon. They've caused enough noise.

"Yah!" Ruby squeaked as she felt all of her momentum come to a complete stop when Marcus actually stepped _into _her attack. His body and near full aura reserves was like striking against a steel wall. Her weapon shook in her hands and sent vibrations up her arm and into her shoulders until it hurt. Then she felt her head snap due to the side to a pistol whip and her body spun in the air as she saw stars in her vision before her eyes. She groaned in pain and then grunted loudly as she felt a boot stomp onto her back.

"No more moving impossibly fast for you," Marcus taunted.

Yang stood up shakily and shook her head to try and free herself from the dancing stars in her vision. She instantly remembered where she was and what she was doing there, and turned around to see Marcus Black forcing Ruby to the ground with his boot centered in the middle of his back. Her hair flamed on and her eyes turned a bloody red as she roared with anger. She practically announced her presence, however, and Marcus stepped off of her sisters back to dodge her most powerful punch. Yang's eyes went wide as she kept moving forward with her momentum until she found her fist stuck inside a metal storage container. Out of fear of igniting the dust from within, she halted her semblance.

"So reckless," The man behind her scolded as she slammed her face into the storage container, she felt her aura waver. He fisted his hand into her hair and got a good tight grip, she groaned painfully as he yanked her back for another go. "If you didn't scream like an idiot you would have really got me good there." He said as he slammed her face into the container again, and then again, and then again. After the fifth strike, her aura finally broke, and she felt blood leak out of her nose, forehead, and lip. "Now go to sleep," Marcus said as he slammed her face into the container one final time.

Yang fell to the ground unconscious bleeding from her face. Ruby rolled to the side and felt her eyes become rimmed with tears as she saw her sister in such a sorry state. She was still woozy from the strike to her head, and before she could crawl her way to her weapon she felt herself get picked up by the back of her hood.

"Ruby!" Blake cried out, aiming her gun toward the man holding her.

"Ah, ah, ah," Marcus held Ruby in front of him. "You wouldn't want to hurt your little friend, do you?"

Blake slowly let her gun fall after a few moments of hesitation. She couldn't pull the trigger, even if she did Marcus would have just killed them all anyway.

"Good little kitty," Marcus said as he drew Ruby's hood off of her head and held her head up by the forehead. The skin of his hand making contact with the skin of her forehead. "Now, since you lost our little agreement. It's time for you to lose something…"

"W-what?" Ruby's eyes stared into his with fear.

"It'll be over quickly, probably."

All of Ruby's body shined a pale red as she felt the world around her start to move incredibly fast, and she felt so very slow. Blake held a hand over her mouth as she trembled at the sight of her leader kicking and screaming in the air as Marcus Black did something to her. The sight was enough for tears to start falling from her eyes. Ruby pointlessly clawed at Marcus' wrist with as much strength as she could muster. But all she could do was just stare up and watch as she felt something get taken away from her.

When he was finally done with her, his aura flickered on and off. Refilled with new strength as Ruby, now drained of all aura and now without a semblance, fell to her hands and knees in a bundle of sweat.

"W… What did you do to me?" Ruby asked, her voice sounded so broken and slow.

"You don't know what my semblance is, do you?" Marcus asked, a cocky grin forming on his lips as he looked down at her. "My semblance can steal other people's semblances."

Ruby felt the tears finally break free from her eyes. "My… my semblance… It's… gone?" She said terrifyingly slow.

"Well, I guess I _can _give it back." Marcus taunted her. "But it's going to take a _lot_ of convincing."

"No… nooo." She whined. She felt her dreams of becoming a huntress crumble down to rock bottom. "W-why… do… this?"

"You brought this on yourself," Marcus said coldly, suddenly not as boastful as he once was. "This is what you get for showing mercy to bad people. Nothing good ever comes out of being a goodie two shoes. All it leads to is pain. Your mother was the same way."

Ruby incoherently grumbled.

"Shit. I really did a number on you did I? You must have really relied on this power of yours."

"You… monster." Blake said, tears trickling down her face as she saw Ruby writhe on the ground, not in pain, but in an indescribable way, like she lost a part of herself and trying to find it. Wasn't a semblance part of one's soul? If Marcus was able to steal a semblance, did that mean he was able to literally steal a piece of your soul as well?

"It's like I told you that from the beginning," Marcus said as he looked around the battlefield of the docks. Roman and the remaining White Fang were still fighting that Penny girl, though the policemen have arrived so now they were in full retreat. But with the dust containers already lifted away, they had more dust than they knew what to do with. From on top of the roof, he could see Neo playing around with the Schnee girls rapier sword, and a beaten and bloodied barely still alive heiress on her belly partly hanging over the ledge. Her hair tinted a red color. Then to his other side, the ones who started this all, Blake and Sun were all but beaten, one slowly dying and the other in no position to stand up against him. They were helpless. A total defeat on their part. "You had no point of beating me, yet you still tried. Now Ruby here doesn't have a semblance anymore, blondie over there has a broken nose, the Schnee bitch just lost her weapon, and you didn't even get to stop any of these containers from getting stolen."

Blake winced with each thing he said. It was all true, if it weren't for her, Sun wouldn't be bleeding to death, Ruby wouldn't have lost her semblance, and everything would have been so much better. And this was all her fault…

"Hope you're satisfied, girl," Marcus said next, looking behind him and looking out for any birds flying overhead. "Is this what you wanted?"

Blake didn't respond. She couldn't bring herself too.

Marcus took one last look around the battlefield and remembered that he was told not to kill anyone. He beckoned Neo to come down and pick him up to bring him to one of the Bullheads with her semblance, and after a roll of her eyes, she jumped down to oblige him.

Qrow came sprinting around the corner with a White Fang member sliding off the end of his sword, he looked to his right and saw him standing among his nieces and her teammates. "MARCUS!" He screamed with hatred as he charged at him.

Marcus saw him coming, he was fast, but not as fast as Neo's semblance activation. He looked at his old friend and smirked. He would have loved to settle their little grudge match now, but there was no point in doing so now. Qrow got close enough to swing his sword at him, and all Marcus did was raise two fingers to his forehead and salute his old friend before Neo's semblance shattered they're formed into glass.

Qrow cursed loudly and looked at the many Bullheads that were leaving in the sky. There was at least half a dozen of them, and he had time to catch up to one of them and bring it down. But there was only a one-sixths of a chance to choose the correct ship. In the end, he swallowed his hatred and let him escape.

"Damn him." He said as he knelt down beside Ruby. "What happened here?" He asked the black-haired girl, the only one still conscious at the moment.

"H-he…" Blake almost couldn't say it, she was bawling her eyes out. "He said he stole her semblance."

Qrow's eyes widened with sorrow. "No…" He hugged Ruby's crying form, she was shaking all the way down to her core. "No… not you… not you too." He begged, memories of her mother flashing through his mind as he felt tears of his own sting at his eyes. He looked over to Yang, and honestly, she was in a better state than her sister was with a simple broken nose. She'd heal from that certainly. The others were in critical condition, however, and Ruby's spirit was broken.

"I'll get him for this… I promise you…" Qrow swore. "I'm going to make him give your semblance back, even if I have to torture him. I swear it."

Somewhere, in one of those Bullheads, Marcus kept a stone-cold glare looking out one of the windows toward the docks. It was in chaos, and almost all of its dust containers were stolen. Roman was bragging about their victory to Cinder already, and Neo was still playing around with the Schnee girl's rapier. A total victory for them. He was still able to see those dull red eyes of Qrow from so far away.

That should make them hate him.

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**Sorry it took a while for this to come out. I was just a little miffed and busy for a few weeks. But agh, this chapter was hard to write in the beginning, but man did I do it. Hah, I really like this chapter, and it is definitely a way to end Volume 1. So yeah, Ruby's semblance was stolen by Marcus. That should make them hate him, right?**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story!**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys, I decided to write this chapter before the next chapter of another story of mine because that one is currently undergoing a Poll that needs to conclude before I continue writing that story, so Destiny Fated Black is now being (hopefully) updated sooner than usual. **

**Thank you all for those reviews last chapter, they really were a welcomed treat.**

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**Beta: CrowSkull**

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**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 12**

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_After that little fiasco at the docks, I made quite a name for myself. But that didn't save me from meeting… that..._

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the city of Vale was active. A man, wearing a black hoodie trimmed with red and with the hood over his head walked casually on the sidewalk crowded with people while whistling a simple tune. If his hood was down, things might have been different. For instance, instead of walking casually he would most likely be sprinting for cover if his hood was down. His name and face were known to the whole kingdom now, and so even the most average Joe would be able to recognize him if he walked around with his face and snow-white hair on full display to the world.

The tune he was whistling slowly faded away into nothing as he heard the sound of a public television was _still _reporting a White Fang dust raid on the docks of Vale that happened about four days ago. Apparently, so much dust was stolen that many dust shops had to file in for bankruptcy, and what little dust was available was being put under heavy Atlesian military guard and some types of dust have become even more expensive than cars.

Yeah, the whole damn Atlesian military was here. That was yet another thing for him to worry about. The General and headmaster of Atlas Academy himself was here as well, which made things all the more interesting. Cinder didn't seem worried though, and as long as they didn't start a manhunt for him, he wasn't going to be too worried about it either. Honestly, he was more worried about the other assassins if they were going to try and send another to try and kill him. Hopefully, after what he did to Cobe, they learned their lesson and were going to leave him alone. If only this was a perfect world...

He stopped walking when he heard the voice of the General speak through the TV, along with some of the other civilians around him "_The White Fang stole millions in lien of dust during the night of what has now been dubbed 'The Fang's Heist', and have mysterious been absent in their activity in the recent days. Please, if you see or know of any sign, even the smallest amount of direction will do wonders for my soldiers and me in keeping your kingdom safe from terrorist threat. There is a cash reward for any and all factual information."_

He snorted and kept moving forward. As if that was going to be enough to get people to snitch.

"_Also, the man known as Marcus Black," _He stopped suddenly at the sound of his name. "_The man who brutally assaulted four hunters in training and disabled one such Ruby Rose, a prodigal upcoming huntress attending Beacon here in this very city, by stealing her semblance with his. He is also suspected at playing a large part in the downward spiral Vale is plummeting down." _A picture of the man popped up on the screen, he remembered it from the moment he escaped in the Bullhead in that one robbery a bit over a month ago. There was also another picture of him when he was younger… back when he attended Beacon. "_If you see this man, do not approach him or make any attempt to apprehend him. He is a known assassin for hire and considered to be hyper lethal. He is also number one on the most wanted list in both Vale and Atlas for the crimes he has committed in this city, and the murders of many politicians and relatives of the Schnee family in Atlas and also the crimes against Mistral and Vacuo. Together, we can combine our forces to capture and make this man face justice-"_

Marcus tightened his hood around his face with the strings of the top and disappeared back into the crowd and kept moving forward. There was no reason for him to be surprised, after stealing Little Red's semblance, breaking the blonde's nose after smashing her face against a steel container, nearly killing the two faunus and getting the heiress of the SDC her weapon stolen and whatever wounds Neo gave her was more than enough to get him on the wanted list. He would have been surprised if he wasn't already on it after everything he's done over the years.

Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if he let his son kill him back then, Mercury wouldn't be on any list, and he could count the amount of people on one hand who knew that he even existed and most of them were dead. He probably would have gotten picked up by Cinder straight after though, so in the end, he would just be swapping one master for another. Things would have been different surely, but it was pointless to think about them now. Mercury was dead by his own hand, branding him a killer in more than one meaning now. First patricide, then filicide. He didn't know which crime was considered worse in the eyes of the general populace. Either way, they would call him a monster.

"_You're… not… a monster-"_

Marcus killed that memoir of a thought before it could begin to distract him. It wasn't his fault the stupid girls didn't stop fighting. He gave them plenty of chances to back off and get out of there. But they just kept _coming_ over and over. Even when he threatened to kill one of them, the idiot would keep fighting. She got her pretty face busted and broken for it, and _still_ the stupid girl with the cat ears aimed her gun at him despite knowing that it wouldn't do anything as long as he had an aura. At that point, he knew that if he didn't do anything shocking that they would just keep coming, and poor little Ruby was just perfect for that.

No more speed semblance for her now. He supposed that she had to hate him now. She relied on it a little too much from what he was able to notice. Without it, she must feel incredibly sluggish. Her mobility with that large scythe of hers had to have been killed now, and judging from the way she was speaking so slowly and being dizzy once he took it away, her body naturally became accustomed to it and over the years engraved it as a natural bodily function of just being that fast. That's what she gets for being so naivé into believing that there was actually some hope for a monster like him. She made the same mistake her mother did…

He sighed as he pressed his back up against the wall of an alley he stepped into, right beside an open window into a not very well known restaurant. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers twice, and then knocked on the windowsill once.

"Finally," Emerald's voice said and the sound of a chair scraping across the floor was heard as she scooted closer to the window. "About time you came, what the hell took you so long?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that I am the most wanted man in the whole goddamn world might have done something to the pace I walk at." Marcus sassily replied. "Good to hear that you missed me Grass, how's Beacon?"

"I hate it," Emerald groaned, obviously annoyed. "I can't even step out of a classroom without feeling like someone was watching every step I take. And everyone is so… _nice_. Ugh, it makes me sick."

Marcus snorted. "Is it really that bad?"

"Yes, yes it is. Did you _really _have to hurt me like that before? They think you are going to come back and finish the job now and I have stupid white knights trying to protect me."

"If I didn't make it believable, Branwen would have been able to tell that we were faking it. He knows how I fight, and how I don't really show any mercy." He snickered at the thought. "If you want me to say sorry, I can pretend to mean it."

"Don't bother," Emerald audibly sighed through her nose. "You really made yourself known out there. I doubt any of them even know who Cinder is at this point, and after what you did to that girl and her team Beacon is up in arms looking for you."

"I didn't notice…" Marcus sarcastically remarked. "How are those girls now, you talk to them?"

"Only because Cinder told me too… I had to visit them when they were brought in the hospital, they were all in bad shape. Why are you asking?"

"Just curious, tell me what they said and how you think they feel," Marcus said.

Weird, especially coming from a man like him. But Emerald supposed that it wouldn't hurt to tell him. "The cat faunus thinks everything that happened is her fault, she wouldn't come out from under the covers and kept sniffling. Weiss had a huge blow dealt to her pride, and she is now short a weapon thanks to Neo, Yang is has a severe grade two concussion and is still unconscious but will eventually recover. Ruby… Well, I never thought that girl could cry so much. She was the least injured, and I heard that she is trying to get used to living and fighting without her semblance by training with her uncle, but if your goal was to make her depressed and break her spirit, I think you managed it."

"Hmph… it wasn't." Marcus said flatly. "Why did you call to meet with me here?" He asked next, moving on from that topic.

"Cinder wanted me to tell you in person how things are going in Beacon right now, I couldn't call because she thinks some scroll lines are being monitored by Atlas now. You are probably going to have to take on a mission to infiltrate Beacon pretty soon." Emerald explained quietly.

"Do I now?" Marcus asked, turning to look in the side of the girls head. She didn't look back, too focused on trying to look natural.

"Yes. She said she would do it herself, but since you have so much infamy right now, she wants to keep that illusion that you are the one running everything." Emerald explained. "She also wants to meet up with you again pretty soon, it's been a while since you two last saw each other."

"Just a few days," Marcus said, no big deal really. Cinder probably already understood that he needed to lay low after escaping the docks with Neo and Roman. "I'll see her tonight. Get the mission details from her."

"Good," Emerald said. "I have to go now, my _partner _has come to pick me up?"

"I noticed," Marcus said as he saw a flicker of glass shards burst out from within the alley he was standing in. Neo was in Beacon as well now, under a disguise as a cute little black-haired girl with pigtails. Heh, he pitied the poor kid who thought he would try his luck with her. "See you later then."

Emerald didn't respond, and he assumed correctly that Neo showed herself already. If Emerald knew whether or not that was Neo, he didn't know nor did he really care. Most likely she knew, Emerald wasn't stupid enough to get fooled by an illusion when her own semblance was entirely based around setting illusions on people. And Cinder wouldn't let Roman do something so dangerously rebellious either.

He stepped off the wall and started walking in the general direction of another White Fang safe house to hold up in until night arrives over Vale. The problems just kept piling up, sure, he'd probably be able to handle it. The police and Qrow were already after him, plus the other assassins still with the organization, the only difference here now was that Atlas' military was looking out for him too, and after the docks, so was Ozpin and his students along with whatever amount of huntsman he had in his care.

Infiltrating Beacon though? Hm. That definitely sounded like a train of nostalgia waiting to go off the rails. He wondered what Cinder was going to have him do there.

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Ruby swung her scythe, but couldn't use the momentum for her favor and stumbled, tripping over the dulled blade of her own weapon.

"Ruby…" Qrow shifted his sword back into its neutral state. "Maybe you should take it easy."

"No!" The young girl screamed as she lifted Crescent Rose with the strength she still had and swung it again at her uncle. Qrow easily dodged it, there wasn't even a motion blur with the weapon this time. It was just so slow… so unlike what he could have ever thought of Ruby. "I have to keep trying," She stated, tears threatening to spill in her eyes as she held the scythe shakily in her hands. "I can't give up… I can't…"

"Ruby…" Qrow didn't know what to say. But he was angry, not at his niece but at the man who did this to her, the one who put those tears in her eyes and made her too slow to even swing her scythe-like she used to. Marcus Black stole Ruby's speed semblance, he actually did it. Though he didn't expect the after-effects to be this merciless and brutal.

Ever since Ruby woke up after losing her semblance and passing out at the docks, the first thing she did next to making sure her teammates were okay was drag her uncle with her to train. Though her stamina was even worse now than it was when she had her semblance in the first place, she still tried and trained on for grueling hours. She stumbled, tripped, struggled, and was easily ten times slower than she was before. She was like the average person now, except even slower than that even. Ruby became so reliant on her semblance, and since she was able to maintain that speed during combat he never did think to teach her how to fight without it. It made him think that now it was partly his fault for what he is watching right now. His niece suffering and crying because she can barely train much less fight. She already had the odds stacked against her being the youngest Beacon student in history, but now…

"Rargh!" Her high pitched voice yelled out as she wildly swung her scythe again. Qrow was able to deflect it sloppily with the back of his hand. He had a sad frown on his face.

Crescent Rose bounced off the ground, and Ruby struggled to pick it back up, and with sheer determination and tears spilling down her face, she swung it again. This time, Qrow caught it, and the sweat on her already emotionally weak hands made her slip off the handle and trip over herself, banging her head on the floor. Her now sick-looking pale red aura flared.

"Ruby!" Qrow let go of the scythe and let it clatter to the ground as he slid to comfort his niece. "Are you okay? Sorry about that."

Ruby pushed her crying face into his chest. Qrow felt the tears flow like a waterfall out of her eyes and get absorbed into his shirt. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

"Uncle Qrow…" She sniffled brokenly, Qrow felt his heart shatter. "Can I… Can I still be a huntress?" she asked, desperately hopeful and terrified.

"Of course you can…" Qrow assured her. "My semblance doesn't help me so I practically fight without it, if I can do it, I know you can too."

"R-really?" Ruby mumbled into his shirt.

"Yeah," Qrow wiped a tear from his eye and hugged her closer. "Yeah…"

He couldn't say it, not and watch as Ruby became even more depressed. At the rate she was going at now, she wasn't going to get better anytime soon. She was looked at by Ozpin himself, and with his years of experience in… everything, he deemed that she lost more than her semblance, but a piece of her being. Her soul. The only thing keeping her in Beacon right now was because of the fact that she had silver eyes, other than that, there was no form of recovery treatment that could get that piece of her soul back. Unless the one who stole it in the first place returns it.

"I'll make sure he pays for what he did to you, Ruby," Qrow swore through his teeth. It was like losing Summer all over again, but this time she was alive to suffer even longer. "I'll force him to give you back your semblance, and then I'll kill him. He'll face his crimes head-on."

Ruby tightened her grip on his shirt, pulling herself deeper into his embrace.

"Don il hm…" She mumbled incoherently into his chest.

"What was that?" Qrow asked as he tilted Ruby in a way so that her mouth wasn't pushed up against his chest.

"Don't kill him…" She said, looking up so that her bloodshot silver eyes stared into his red ones. "Don't kill him." She repeated before she pushed her face up against his chest again.

Qrow was shocked, but more than the anger he felt he instead felt sorrow. Ruby really is just like her mother. Even after all he's done, even after he practically admitted to her that he was the reason her mother is dead, and even after he brutally picked apart her team and nearly killed one of her friends, she still. _Still. _Didn't give in to any dark thoughts that most people these days would most certainly give in to for vengeance. Despite everything, he laughed. Marcus won the battles so far, but the war is far from over.

"Okay." He said, rubbing her back. "I won't kill him. Just hurt him a little bit. Can I take a hand at least?" Ruby giggled against his chest, he laughed in return. "I'll take that as a yes, maybe I'll use that to give you back your semblance." She giggled some more and slumped her fist against his shoulder.

"Excuse me…" A hesitant militaristic feminine voice said.

Qrow looked over his shoulder to see his most beloved Atlesian Specialist, Winter Schnee, dressed in her usual uniform except that she did not wear the coat that came with it. Leaving her arms and shoulder bare. She looked at him and with her eyes told him that she would leave if he wanted her too. Qrow sighed and nodded his head, going back to Ruby.

"I have to get back to work kid, go see your sister." He said, patting her head. Ruby nodded against him and stepped away, shifting Crescent Rose back into its dormant state and went off in a different direction. Not wanting to let the specialist see her tearstained face.

"You chose a bad time," Qrow said as he wiped his face of any sign of tears and faced Winter. "It's a little early to scold me for drinking, I haven't even touched my flask yet."

"I am not here for that," Winter assured him.

"Then what do you want?" Qrow asked, all business for once. Winter hid her surprise and was quick to get straight to the point.

"My sister was injured at the docks as well," She started. Qrow took a few steps closer and was able to see that Winter's face was also stained lightly with tears. That's right, her little sister nearly lost her life and was living in pain at the moment, not to mention she lost her sword. That would be enough to make even Winter lose character and break down. "The man who is responsible for it, you know who he is personally, do you not?"

"I do," Qrow said after a few moments. "A long time ago, me and him used to be friends. Not so much these days. But I don't think he was the one who attacked your sister."

"She told me who it was," Winter said, scowling. "Some strange girl wearing the colors of an ice cream flavor was the one who nearly took her. But to get to her, I would have to get to him first."

"Yeah? And you thought coming to me was a good idea to get on that?" Qrow laughed.

"No, actually. I am here to recruit you."

"Recruit me!?" Qrow burst out laughing. "It's a little late for me to become a Specialist ain't it? Besides, wouldn't an outsider bandit be a bit of a poor choice to hire?"

"Not to become a Specialist you fool," Winter growled lightly. "General Ironwood has tasked me with offering you apart in a… off the record manhunt."

Qrow eyed her up and down warily, and then smirked. "That so? I'm listening…"

Winter continued. "The General believes that headmaster Ozpin is not doing enough for the security of Vale. Especially when it comes to one such Marcus Black. But since his name is too famous and the headmaster would know if he's planned anything, he has placed it onto myself to find and recruit a small and skilled task force to hunt down Marcus Black for capture or elimination. He gave me Brigadier level authorization for this mission… you were the first I came too."

"Heh," Qrow smiled. "Well, count me in right away. I'm definitely down to hunt the man that nearly killed my nieces and their teammates and stole one of their semblances."

Winter smiled, and for once it wasn't forced when it came to Qrow. "I counted on your eagerness. I hope what you may know about the man may come be beneficial."

"All I can tell you is that he's dangerous, more dangerous than either of us probably. He's crazy smart too, and he's never going to be in the same spot for too long. Guy's been an assassin for longer than some of these kids have been alive, he knows his stuff." He leaned forward. "Which means that doing things the Atlas way isn't going to cut it here."

Winter smirked back. "I don't plan to."

"Good. Because I read those old reports you know, Marcus played you all like a damn fiddle. I mean, seriously, just because the guy has white hair doesn't mean he is a Schnee."

Winter sighed. "Unfortunately, he is technically related to my family."

Qrow widened his eyes. "Since when?"

"Since over a hundred years ago before the Great War," Winter said. "Long ago, before the Schnee's ever created the dust company that we are now, we were a militaristic family. Nicholas Schnee, my long passed great grandfather, lead the assaults and was a General much like General Ironwood is. During that time he… met a woman. Things happened, and the first-ever Black was born. Nicholas refused to accept the child as his illegitimate son and cast him away with the mother because of how poor and unknown they were. Even branding them with the surname Black to serve as a constant reminder of their low class and to set them apart from the Schnee name."

"That proved to be a mistake. As the child grew after the conclusion of the war, the mother became vengeful, using her skills to train the boy into becoming a lethal killing machine. Coincidentally, this boy was also named Marcus. Marcus Black." She explained.

"Wait," Qrow placed a hand on his forehead and sighed. "So Marcus, the present Marcus, is part Schnee?"

"Partly," Winter confirmed. "He is most likely a distant cousin or an uncle, though I doubt he knows it himself and if he does it would be safe to assume he doesn't care. The only thing that makes him look like a relative to us is his white hair."

"And I also assume this isn't public knowledge," Qrow assumed. And assumed correctly.

"No," Winter sighed. "That part of Schnee history was never written. Neither was the true cause of Nicholas Schnee's death."

"So he _didn't _die in a mining accident?"

"No, his death was no accident, but an assassination. During his funeral, however, those fatal battle wounds were hidden and the coroner signed a contract never to reveal how he truly died. Even in death, my ancestors refused to bring light to the Black family's existence." Winter revealed. "Over time, the grudge faded into history. They got their revenge after all. I didn't even know of this until recently, when General Ironwood saw to it personally that I know who the man who nearly caused my sister's death was."

"If it got out now nobody would probably care," Qrow said. "The Blacks are known assassins, and you Schnees are painted as the good guys to most of the world. Cousins or not, they are eventually going to be eradicated. Marcus is the last Black out there as far as I know, and I doubt he managed to start a family."

"I do not and will not consider them family, not after the numerous crimes they have committed against my family. Even if it was my great grandfather who started this feud, they are the ones making it worse." Winter said, balling her hands into fists at her sides.

"I get ya," Qrow nodded. "I do, and I doubted that you'd feel any connection to Marcus at this point. But like I said, there isn't much I can tell you about him. The last time I had a conversation with him was over twenty years ago, and I only met him two times before recently…"

"What were those recent times?" Winter asked.

"One was those times in Vale, and the other was…" Qrow gripped himself tighter as he crossed his arms. "When he returned the body of my partner to her husband after he killed her."

"I… I'm sorry to hear that," Winter said, hanging her head.

"Don't be, wasn't your fault." Qrow refused to let that memory torture him. "Anyway, who are these other people we'll be working with?"

Winter accepted the change of topic easily. They both needed it. Thinking about Marcus only brought disdain. "Besides you and me, no one. But I have some ideas."

"Want some advice?" Winter looked at him strangely, he took that as a yes. "Whatever you're thinking, don't do that. I have a few guys that could help us."

Winter scowled at him. "These friends of yours also drunks?"

"One of them is," Qrow answered with a shrug. "But the others are alright. Trust me, them plus us is all we're going to need."

Winter looked at him warily, but after a few moments, she sighed through her nose and nodded her head. "I'll allow it, but if the General asks, it was your idea."

"Indeed it was," Qrow said as he dialed a number. After a few seconds, the person on the other line answered.

"_What do you want Qrow? I'm sorta busy with the whole mysterious disappearance of the White Fang thing."_

"Hey Seth, make this a group call with Mackie and Verdant, I have another job for you guys and it involves a certain guy named Marcus Black."

A few tense silent seconds of time passed. Then two pings sounded off from the scroll.

"_We're listening…"_

* * *

The meeting spot was the same as always, the same couch that he had been subtly threatened on now held Roman taking up the entire seat with his arms spread across it as if he was holding two women at his sides. He wished that was the case. Instead of women, there were two empty spaces, and the only woman in the room was Cinder. If he tried to get into that, then Marcus would genuinely be impressed. At least until he got burned to death.

"Ah, Mark!" Roman greeted him boisterously, Cinder set down the bottle she was holding to acknowledge him. "It's been a bit, how's the wife and kid?" The smirk he wore as he asked that told Marcus that he knew full well that they were dead.

"Still dead." He said without any true anger, not really caring for the implied disrespect. That was just how Roman was. But if he was anyone else, he would have killed them on the spot. "You called for me Cinder? Sorry it took a bit, had to lay low after the field trip that was the docks."

"Your absence is acceptable, and perhaps necessary." Cinder said as she turned around, that same smirk was still stretched across her face. "You more than did well enough, I would say that you have surpassed my expectations for you."

"I aim to please," Marcus replied unenthusiastically.

Cinder found that amusing and chuckled. "Roman dear, leave us."

"Sure thing," Roman stood up, gave Marcus a two-finger wave, and left the room without even looking back. He was all bravado and put on a cocky face, but down under that defense mechanism that guy must have been terrified, and he didn't blame him. Cinder was not a force to be reckoned with.

"What were you two talking about?" Marcus asked as he moved to take the warm seat that Roman left behind.

"Just some things about placing Neo with Emerald in Beacon," Cinder said as she sat across from him on a nearby seat, turning her body to face him. "As the official records say, Team CNEM has lost the male member of their team in a training mission accident, and so far their leader has had trouble traveling from Mistral to Vale and will be arriving shortly."

"Wonder what happened to the M of that team," Marcus said with a snigger.

"Sometimes I do as well," Cinder said, feigning sadness. Marcus laughed. "I do hope that you and Emerald were able to meet and speak."

"We were," Marcus nodded his head. "She told me what needed to be said, and left when she needed to. You have plans to send me on a mission to infiltrate Beacon and do something, right?"

"I do," Cinder confirmed. "I wanted to speak to you in person about it for reasons you should already know. I would do the job myself, but it seems you've fooled all of the world into thinking that you are the one and only mastermind behind our plans in Vale. Whether you've done that by accident or on purpose matters not, this turn of events has changed some minor details of our plan."

"And I assume sending me to Beacon was one of them?"

"Correct." Cinder nodded. "Ordinarily, I wouldn't want you entering Beacon at all. But I wouldn't want to risk revealing to Ozpin and his men that there is someone else involved with you and your plans." She said that last part with air quotes. "Your mission will be simple, on the day of an upcoming dance for the students of Beacon, you will use the night's darkness as cover and infiltrate the CCT tower in order to plant a virus I had one of my associates cook up for the very purpose of painting Atlas in a very bad light."

"Yeah? And how is this virus going to do that?" Marcus asked, curious.

"It will show some classified footage of what really happens in those dust mines ran by Atlas and the SDC. If all goes well, it may spark a second faunus war." Cinder explained with a smirk. "With that distraction, Atlas may be forced to pull out as to not instigate violence, or at the very least get blamed for the creation of the White Fang."

"You'll be surprised at how oblivious people will pretend to be," Marcus pointed out. He felt that there was something more to it, but it wasn't his place to try and demand anything from Cinder. Not now at least. The mission seemed harmless enough. "But it would definitely stir up a storm in this city."

"Indeed it will," Cinder held up a modified scroll, and handed it to him. "Take care of this, if you lose it my associate and I would be very upset."

Marcus took it and stuck it into his pocket for safekeeping. "I will, don't worry. Tell me some details. What happens if people get in my way?"

"Kill them," Cinder shrugged. "This is technically a stealth mission, but if they want to believe that you are in charge, then we shall let them believe that and solidify their ideas. If anyone gets in your way or tries to stop you, kill them. Even if it's a professor or student of Beacon."

"Hm…" Marcus hummed. Well, it wasn't like there was any point to trying to stay hidden anymore, his name was now known worldwide. "Alright, so this is a stealth mission but not really, and all I have to do is stick this in a computer?"

"Simple, is it not?" Cinder asked cockily.

"It is…" Marcus eyed her flatly. "Sounds almost too easy actually."

Cinder chuckled and leaned into her chair. "Darling, if I really wanted you gone, I would do it myself. No one else would be able to do so otherwise and we both know how our last spar went."

He remembered it all too well, it was literally scarred across his chest what happened the last time he tried to fight Cinder. He could be able to beat or even kill her if she wasn't a maiden, but it was too late now. She was just too powerful.

"Which reminds me of something," Cinder's smirk grew ever wider. "I did say that once you return to me after the mission I gave you to protect Roman and the White Fang at the docks, I would introduce you to Salem, did I not?"

"You did…" Marcus confirmed. There was no reason to try and put it off, not and piss off whoever was bossing Cinder around. This had to be done sooner or later, and ever since he found out that this supposed Queen of the Grimm existed, he was doomed to meet her from the start.

"Well, now is a better time than ever." Cinder said. Pointing up and to a wall about ten feet from where they were sitting.

Marcus hesitantly followed where her finger was pointing and looked for anything that she wanted him to see. At first, he saw darkness and a bit of light coming from the moon, but then a red orb of sorts started to glow in the dark. Marcus' eyes continued to widen as the orb transformed into some kind of floating jellyfish type of Grimm, and slowly descended down to hover about four feet off of the ground. The barbed tentacles of the monster hanging down to scraped against the floor. Marcus snapped up to his feet and turned with a creeping sense of fear chilling down his spine. He's never seen a Grimm like this before, and it made it all the more creepy that the jellyfish-like creature made no move to try and attack him. Simply hovering closer to him in what he thought could have been a non-hostile manner.

"**No need to fear, Marcus Black." **A pale white face, just as white as her hair, appeared on the orb facing him. Her eyes were a piercing red color, the sclera black, and the pulsating veins in her face spoke of Grimm's corruptive energy. That was her. That was the Queen of the Grimm.

She was real and looking right into his eyes.

"**Cinder has told me many good things about you," **The Queen said, smiling warmly at him. Marcus felt his body perspire with sweat. "**You have been a good little pawn in this little war of ours, and have done much for my star pupil. Your skills especially have caught my attention. You have enough of it to defeat even a maiden in battle, and in the process saving Cinder's life as well."**

"I… I-I…" Something within Marcus prevented him from running or attacking the Seer before him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Cinder smiling at him.

His eyes widened when he realized why he couldn't move. That parasite thing that she put in him when they first met was doing this to him somehow. He could _feel _it crawling around under his skin and paralyzing his muscles, forcing him to stand nice and still in front of the most dangerous creature in the world.

He never felt more vulnerable and helpless in his life.

"**Cinder tells me that when she found you, you had just finished killing your own son," **The thing told him. "**Is that true?"**

After a few moments of fighting against his body's actions, Marcus gave him and nodded his head. With Cinder there to confirm, he couldn't hide that sin from the Queen.

"**I see," **Like the monster she was, she found that particular sin of his impressive. "**Not many humans these days are willing to go to such lengths in punishing their children. You have certainly found a keeper Cinder, I dare say you two would make a perfect match."**

"Not just yet, my Queen," Cinder bashfully giggled, _giggled_, and flicked her hair over one shoulder. "Not until after I reclaim the full power of the maiden, at least. But the idea certainly has come to mind on several occasions."

"W-who…?" He managed to say through gritted teeth. He felt something push through his veins.

"**I am Salem," **The Queen said, smiling. "**I am the Queen of the Grimm, and have lived a very, **_**very **_**long time. I've seen enough that nothing hardly surprises me anymore. But as I look at you here…" **The Seer floated closer to him. Marcus grit his teeth harder and bit back a scream. "**I see nothing but yet to be untapped potential, even at the age you are at now."**

Suddenly, the effects of the parasite wared off and he fell down to one knee, his pure white aura flashed and he felt the urge to pass out. But through sheer determination, he refused to.

Salem let out a sound that suggested that she was even more impressed.

"**Ah, it is so very rare that someone is able to resist their own natural instincts. You really do have potential."**

"What do you want from me?" Marcus asked, glaring back with his black eyes.

"We want you to work with us, join us." Cinder placed her hands on her shoulders. He looked up and saw her now glowing orange eyes looking down at him. "You are wanted for capture or elimination all over the world, even if I let you go now, where would you go? Living out your days in Vacuo could work, but could you live such a demanding life for so long? When you get old and lose your ability to continue fighting, can you still take care of yourself? Could you even live with yourself after all that you've done?"

For some reason that last one really hit close to home for Marcus. Memories from the past once again flowed through his mind. The death of his brother and teammate, him murdering his father, everything that happened with Summer, and what he did to her daughter even. Shutting his eyes tightly, he forced those memories back from where they came. The past was the past, and he had to move on with his life. No time for regrets.

"**She is right, and you know that," **Salem said, Marcus found himself compelled to look back into her eyes. "**You have nowhere to go, your only solace is with us. Join me, Marcus Black, and I will reward you with everything you could ever desire."**

Suddenly, the tentacles wrapped around his arms, shoulders, and face. They didn't squeeze at all, nor did they hurt. But it was enough to surprise him to the point where he grabbed his knife and cut the tentacles off. The Seer hissed in pain, and he was about to follow his instincts and kill the creature entirely. But a pair of freezing hands cupped his face before he could do so.

Her hands were going _through _the orb, as if she was using it as some sort of mode of transportation. The moment her skin came in contact with his cheeks, the effects of the parasite came back and froze him in place. He couldn't even sense anything that he could steal with his semblance from the skin to skin contact. It was like Salem didn't have anything to steal in the first place. There was no soul within her.

"**I look forward to meet you in person. Do continue to impress me, and remember this." **Her eyes glowed red, sending chills throughout his entire body. "**Never forget who you truly serve…"**

Then it was gone. Her hands disappeared and the Seer was nowhere to be seen. He had control over his body once more, and he took a cautionary step back. The frost like sensation on his face lingering for many moments before it even began to recede. His black eyes were wide and lips peeled back in anguish. After another few seconds of confirming that she was really gone, he finally took a breath once his vision began to darken.

"She certainly has a way of introductions," Cinder said, smiling down at him. Her hands were still on his shoulders, they were blazing in comparison to how Salem's felt. "Don't worry, she won't hurt you unless you give her a reason to. Between you and me, I believe that you are already among our ranks." Her hands moved away, and the clicking of her heels echoed around the hideout as she made her leave. "Do keep up the good work darling, I look forward to our future together." She said before leaving him in the room alone.

Marcus immediately got up and sprinted to the nearest bathroom, and let out all of the food that he ate that afternoon. Most of his stomach acid going with it. When he was finally finished, he moved away and saw a mirror. What he saw was himself, but it was more than that. He saw all of the sins of his past coming back to haunt and torture his mind, his hair, the color of purity, shifted around his face tauntingly and his black eyes were as dark as he felt his soul was.

He stumbled closer to the mirror and caught himself on the sink. Leaning over it and spitting out what was left in his mouth. His mouth burned, his muscles had a sense of soreness that he has never felt before. But the pain came more in force through his mind.

"I'm hopeless." He said to the reflection. "You're a monster, you have no other choice."

"_You're wrong," _Another voice in his mind stated, it wasn't his. "_You always have a choice, no matter what."_

"It's suicide," He told the voice. "I can't, I'll just throw in my dice with them."

"_Is that what you really want though?"_

"I want to live."

"_What is life as a slave?"_

"A life."

"_Not the life that you want, not the life that they wanted for you." _The voice countered. He groaned, they weren't wrong there. "_You think you can do this, but you can't."_

"I know what to do," Marcus argued.

"_You do," _The voice agreed. "_But will you do it?"_

"Yes… I mean no… Ugh!" Marcus slumped his forehead against the glass mirror. "I know what I want, and nothing can change that."

"_You're not a monster, Marcus."_

"Shut up!" Marcus shouted into his reflection. "Stop haunting me, you're dead. Dead! I saw you die with my own eyes."

"_I am dead," _His reflection changed, behind him something moved, he wanted to turn and confront it but he knew it would disappear the moment he looked to see what it was. "_But yet you still remember, and you never forget." Her _face became visible over his shoulder. Summer Rose smiled at him in the reflection. "_You can't forget, because I'm a part of you now, I always have and I always will be. You took my semblance after all, and so a piece of my soul lives on within you. Just like so many others."_

Dozens of voices started speaking all at the same time. They screamed at him, tortured him. The voices of the huntsman and huntresses he'd killed, the voices of some of the targets he assassinated, and even the voice of his own son, asking him why he killed him when he could have done something so much more. It was enough to drive a man insane.

"SHUT UP!" Marcus shrieked as he slammed his fist against the mirror, it shattered into a hundred little pieces, but there was a big enough piece that remained on the wall that had a pair of silver eyes staring at him. "Shut up…" He said weakly, hanging his head. "Why… why are you doing this to me?" He asked the voice brokenly as a drop of blood trickled down his face and off his nose into the sink and mess of broken glass shards.

"_I'm not doing anything," _The voice defended herself. "_You are doing this to yourself."_

Marcus fell down to his knees.

"_You're not a monster, Marcus." _He laughed manically. He knew that there was a smile on her face without even looking.

"I am, I stole your daughter's semblance," Marcus argued.

"_That still doesn't make you a monster." _

"Yeah…" Marcus shook his head and laughed out loud. "Crazily enough, I am actually starting to believe you."

The voices faded away.

In that silence, Marcus reached into the pocket he very rarely goes into. When he pulled out the picture, he saw his family. During a time where they were happy. His wife, Olivia, and their baby boy, Mercury. Neither of them knew what was coming at that time, but they were happy. Ignorance was bliss.

Once that ignorance ran out, they both died for it. One of them by his own hand.

"Nothing is ever easy…" He said as he wiped the blood off his face and activated his aura to heal him. Then stuffed the photo back into his pocket.

"That's just the way life is though, ain't it shorty?"

In the back of his mind, he knew she would agree.

* * *

**Well then, that happened. Whew, I am getting back into the swing of things with this chapter being written in just a day. I am glad I am still able to write like this, and I love how I was able to portray into words what I had in my mind. I only hope you all see it that way as well.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story.**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	13. Chapter 13

**And we're back. This chapter is going to be a long one, I can already see it. The last few have been golden gems and this one probably will be the same way. If you guys wanted to see more action and plot development, than this is the chapter you're going to remember for a while. Also as a warning, in order to spice up the story and change some events, some OC's have been created. But don't worry, things are going to happen by the end of this volume or the beginning of the next. Trust me on that one.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 13**

* * *

_And I was right, nothing ever was easy. It only got harder and harder, and I have an old friend to thank for that…_

Going to sleep that night was easy enough when it consisted of him kicking off his boots and falling into his bed. The moment his eyes closed, the voices finally stopped and he was able to drift off to sleep. Only to continue to haunt him in a different, more dreamy way.

_Marcus groaned and slammed the bottom of a glass cup onto the top of the bar. Burping lightly as the alcohol burned it's way down his throat and into his stomach, giving him a warm sensation in his core that was more than welcome considering all of the stress he has had building up for so long. _

_It has been nearly ten years ever since he left Beacon behind, and in doing so metaphorically buried his dead brother and teammate. He also killed his dad, but that was less stressful than it really out to be. The asshole had it coming, especially when he insulted his dead son because he got trapped under rubble and couldn't possibly defend himself from the monstrous Grimm that came up to attack him. Marcus shook his head and tried to rid the memory of his brothers ripped apart body by downing another glass full of his favorite beer. The kind that he didn't know the name of, but had the greatest effect that he desired. The amnesic kind._

"_You're going to end up getting drunk at this rate," Brett warned him. This cheeky bastard was the one that mainly handled his assassination contracts, and he was always annoying with his stupid rules and stupid morals. He wouldn't even blink an eye if he had to make a choice between him and himself. Marcus supposed that was part of the reason why he liked the guy. _

"_Well, what do you expect when this next contractor wants to be a dipshit and insist that we meet up face to face to talk about whoever they want dead?" Marcus asked with a scoff. "In all my years of killing people for you guys, not one of them ever wanted to meet me face to face. Not one!"_

"_There is a first time for everything as they say," Brett replied in a tone that suggested sarcastic boredom. "You know the rules, Marcus, they're the one paying us, so we have to oblige to whatever it is that they want. If they want to meet us in person, they can meet us in person if they understand that we cannot disclose our real names. If they want to stay as far away as they want and deal with us at a distance, then we must respect that."_

"_And if they want to fuck us, the girl assassins have to spread their legs for them?" Marcus cut him off with a sneer. Then ignored the way how every female assassin in that bar with him glared at him. It was true anyway, he didn't know why they had to be such brats about it._

"_Well, we do have a service line dedicated to such requests." Brett pointed out. Also ignoring their glares. "Must I remind you that this is what you signed up for? We didn't have to take you in after you left Beacon, we only did so because-"_

"_You only did so because my last name is Black," Marcus rolled his eyes. "I've only been hearing that for the past decade, you don't need to keep reminding me."_

"_Also because of your far above average skills," Brett added. "You passed our initiation test quite easily, beating all the assassins that we sent to beat you down."_

"_I was in a bad mood." Marcus shrugged. "You chose a bad time to test me."_

"_And we learned our lesson not to screw with you after that." Brett chuckled. "You know, you never did tell us how is it that you were able to become so dangerous. If we knew what you did to train, then perhaps we could train other generations of assassin to be even better."_

"_Yeah, I'm not falling for that." Marcus sneered. "Once I teach a few dozen of these idiots, then what use would you have of the Black family anymore?"_

"_Ironic of you to say that, given that your family has a long history of patricide that goes as far back to even before the Great War. And it all started with Nicholas Schnee fucking the wrong woman and fathering a bastard son. How close you were to becoming what is considered royalty in this day and age."_

"_I don't care about that shit," Marcus said as he downed another glass of beer. "The Black's and the Schnee's can slap their dicks against each other again after I'm dead, I'm not involving myself in a feud that started over a hundred years ago."_

"_I don't think your ancestors would have cared to take your words as fact given that you've killed many Schnee already," Brett remarked._

_Marcus shrugged. He didn't have anything to say about that. It was part of the job and with his convenient hair color and a spazzy looking suit, it was all too easy to infiltrate Atlas' upper city. He imagined that would be a story to remember for a long time. _

"_Ah, I hope you're not in a bad mood any longer," Brett said as he flicked his chin toward the person who had just entered the bar, her eyes immediately locking onto Marcus' back. "It seems your contractor has finally arrived."_

"_About damn time," Marcus finished his drink and turned in his seat. "Alright, lets cut right to the chase, who do you want… dead…" _

_Silver eyes stared back at him. His mouth was left open and his black eyes slowly widened as he instantly recognized that white cloak and black-red hair of a woman he hasn't seen in a very long time. Summer looked sad to see him, her hood was over her head and was covering the rest of her body. Anything that Marcus was going to say to the random person he expected to see died in his mind before it could reach his tongue. _

"_You…" Marcus said quietly, flatly and with emotions that have long been dead. The assassin around him looked at the two of them with a curious eye. There was obviously history behind them. The way they looked at each other, the way the great Marcus Black looked like he had nothing to say for once when and the way that the woman smiled brokenly at him spelled all kinds of things. Assumptions were made, and with the added sight of the huntress' weapon they came up with an average thought that these two were either old friends, old lovers, or both. Faced with that, all eyes started moving toward the huntress, inching their hands toward their weapons._

_Marcus glared back at them for a split second, and that was enough to scare them into retracting their hands and going back to what they were doing. Minding their own business for now. _

"_I finally found you." Summer said as she raised her head slightly to get a better look at him. She looked like she desperately wanted to smile, but it turned out brokenly and she shook instead. Tears just beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. "After all this time… I finally found you."_

"_I told you not to look for me," Marcus said, clenching his fist not with anger, but an unknown emotion. "I told you to forget me. Why didn't you…?" He couldn't finish the sentence, he clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath. Something burned from behind his eyes._

_She was on him in a second. He knew she was approaching him, and if it were anybody else he would have shied away or killed them for it. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she pushed the side of her face into his chest. She was hugging him. Him. A man who abandoned all of his friends during the darkest day in Vale's history and became an assassin. A killer. A monster. He often considered himself worse than the Grimm, because at least they had an excuse in killing so many people throughout the years. They couldn't feel remorse or think about what they were doing, they were mindless creatures. He was human, and he had no excuse other than greed. He needed money and it was the only thing he was good at after half his team died and the last one became a criminal. _

"_How could I stay away?" Summer asked him with broken sobs. "I made you a promise, remember? No matter what, I'd be there to drag you out of whatever hole you dug yourself in. Because no matter what you think about yourself or the things you've done, you're my friend."_

_Marcus didn't hug her back, he couldn't. He was showing enough weakness as it was. Despite that, he instinctively leaned into her touch, feeling the heated glares of Brett and every other assassin in that room. There was no hiding this remnant of his past that obviously still had an effect on him. _

"_I-"_

* * *

Marcus woke up with a groan that borderline a scream in terms of how loud it was. Sweat was pouring out of the poor on his face. His gun instinctively scanned the room for any intruders, and after deeming it safe he fell back down to the bed and on top of his blaring scroll. Reluctantly, he rolled off of it and picked it up, seeing the name Cinder blinking on the screen along with a blank profile picture. Steeling himself after remembering what happened the night before, he pressed the accept call button.

"Cinder, you-"

"_Marcus, I've been trying to call you for over an hour!" _Cinder cut him off, sounding more frantic than she has ever been. Her face on the scroll scrunched up with concern and worry, and there was a splatter of blood that he knew wasn't hers at the corner of her forehead.

"What?" Marcus looked at the time in the corner of his scroll and cursed. He slept for much longer than he really wanted too, it was almost evening already. That dream really kicked his ass and kept him in bed. "Dammit, there's never a time for me to rest. What is it?"

"_Junior talked." _Cinder said. Marcus cursed again.

"That explains the blood on your face," Marcus said as he set the scroll aside on speaker and started putting his boots back on. Tying them taught with a snap.

"_Never mind that, I simply had to deal with a few loose ends." _Cinder said with a scowl. All as well confirming that Junior and whoever he was working with were dead. Which involved those two twins that Marcus remembered trembling at the sight of him. Disappointing, but necessary. They couldn't be trusted after apparently ratting them out already.

"So what happened?" Marcus finally asked.

"_Qrow Branwen, Winter Schnee and a band of misfits invaded the club and demanded for information on certain hideouts. Junior apparently tried to fight them off, but he was far outclassed. He quickly talked and revealed three locations, and one of those locations are where you are right now." _Marcus cursed yet again and worked faster to get himself ready. "_Roman warned me about it the moment he found out after giving up on contacting you directly. You need to get out of there. Now."_

If the situation wasn't so suddenly dire, Marcus might have tried to tease Cinder about worrying about him. The White Fang sharing this small warehouse hideout with him was as oblivious as ever and he wouldn't trust them with his life. "I'll escape," He told Cinder as he peeked out of the corner of the door, watching for any of the terrorists. "Thanks for the warning, I'll get out of here and meet up with you as soon as I can."

"_Good. I know you will. I wouldn't have put so much time into you if I didn't have faith in you." _Cinder smirked at him through the scroll. Marcus looked back for a moment and nodded before he thumbed the scroll off and stuff it back into his pocket. Without a moment to spare, he snuck out of his room and made for nearby darkness. The sun was beginning to set, and the season currently being autumn meant that the night would soon be upon them, maybe in an hour or two. Too long of a time for Marcus to be confident in waiting to have the cover of night to help him in his escape. He also didn't trust in the White Fang to not squeak when Qrow and his guys showed up with the intent to get something out of them.

Avoiding them was easy, they weren't looking for anyone and he was more than good enough to avoid them all. Marcus snuck his way throughout the building using the darkest spots were available to him and to where he knew lights weren't working. This was a mostly abandoned building after all. He got past them all and made way to go up and to the roof. The streets were definitely going to be watched, and in all honesty, the roof's probably would be too but it would be easier to get away from up there than it would be going down there on the ground into traffic with more obstacles in his way in the form of people getting home from work around this time. With his decision being made, Marcus got passed the final oblivious White Fang member and escaped to the roof of the building, inching his way out and making sure it was clear before he full stepped out. Being caught here wouldn't be good, given on how the roof was flat yet uneven with hardly any cover to hide behind or protect him.

The only option was to make a break for it. He got a good thirty feet away from the door before a sword stabbed into the ground in front of him. A sword with a power-on symbol on the hilt and attached to a thin cable that came out of the pack of the same ginger girl he saw at the docks.

"Ah, you again," Marcus said as he got into a ready stance. He beat her once, he could do it again. "What was your name again, Tenny?"

"Penny Polendina." The girl told him as a dozen more swords started hovering around her. "You are Marcus Black, the man who hurt all of my new friends at the docks. The same man who stole friend Ruby's semblance."

"So what if I am?" Marcus asked her as he unsheathed his knife and pointed his gun at her. "I'll give you the same warning that I gave them, get out of the way, or I'm going to hurt you. Only time I'm giving you this chance."

"Your offer is declined." Penny's face was as flat as her tone as she started walking toward him. Her green eyes flickering with light for a few moments before she came to a stop. "You are going to be stopped today Marcus Black, your reign of terror ends, and I will be the one to begin your downfall."

"Charmed." Marcus sighed as he got into a stance, prepared to fight. He wouldn't be able to get away with her on his ass, her swords had long reach and she would make his life very miserable if he just tried to get away from her and he's seen what she could do at the docks weeks ago. Which meant that she needed to be dealt with. Just another target for him to eliminate.

"_Stop fighting." _The voice in his head stunned him, Marcus couldn't raise his knife up in time to deflect the first sword that manage to scratch him as he leaned back just in time to save himself from a big blow to his aura. "_Just rest." _Marcus grit his teeth together and forced his arms to move the way he wanted them too, shooting back at the girl with one hand while the other with the knife worked to defend himself. There was no talking his way out of this, not after what he did at the docks. He knew that look in her eyes, she wanted revenge for what he did, and rightfully so. "_Don't kill her." _He nearly tripped over one of her cables despite already seeing it and preparing himself to duck under it. Once he recovered he cursed and kept moving.

"You are under great stress," Penny helpfully told him something he already knew. "I know it isn't because of me, but in any case, it will make my job easier in this operation."

She wasn't alone, Marcus knew that and as he pushed himself back up to his feet and hid himself behind the only cover that was available on the roof they were fighting on he knew that Qrow, the Schnee girl, and a bunch of other people who knew how to fight like a huntsman were coming after him, and he would be willing to bet that they were on their way and getting closer with each passing second that he wasted on this girl with the strange abilities.

As a response, Marcus rolled his shoulders to loosen them up. He was still a little woozy and stiff after just waking up, and if worst comes to worst Penny would be great to warm him up for the real battle to come.

Shaking his head of the voice, Marcus narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Now." He told himself as he threw himself around the corner of his cover and unloaded the entire magazine at the ginger girl. Two of them managed to hit her body, bouncing off her light green aura and ricocheting into the ground and the other into the air respectively before she was able to block off and parry the rest. Marcus sprinted forward, the metal half of his legs slamming against the roof of the building with each step creating sounds that could probably be heard down the block. Penny matched his glare with equal ferocity as she dashed backward in an effort to get away from him. Her swords flew through the air and tried to stab and slash at him as he continued his charge at her, and managed to slow the assassin down when he tried to not let any of the blades touch his body.

Marcus flipped back from the last one after cutting one of the cables off to disarm Penny of one of her swords and landed on one knee. He shot forward like a bullet right after Penny before the cable could fully retract and reached toward it. Penny yanked the cable back and tried to whip it against him. Marcus sensed the danger and jumped to the side, watching with concerned eyes as the cable whipped against the roof and ripped a hole in the sheet metal roof. He wasn't going to try and grab it again.

One of the swords tried to stab him while he was down but he used his metal leg to deflect it. Sparks flew between the two objects and Penny found herself surprised when half of one of Marcus' pant leg was cut in half, revealing a bionic limb through the clothing.

Marcus sneered and ripped the rest of the pants off on that side just below the knee so it wouldn't get in his way. Then before Penny could fully process that Marcus had bionic legs, charged for her once again. Penny came back to her senses just in time to retract all of her swords back and shape them together to form one big long sword. It reeled back and swung for Marcus, but he brought up his exposed leg to block it. The clash created a shockwave that destroyed some of the glass windows on the buildings around them.

However, as strong as Marcus was, he had stamina while Penny's swords were carried by an unknown and potentially limitless source of energy. In order to bleed off some of the force, rather than wait until his leg gets cut off again he lifted his other leg off of the ground and allowed himself to be thrown back. He bounced off the roof once before he landed on his hands and knees while sliding down a slant, and slowed down the rest of his momentum by stabbing his long knife into the roof.

A green blast of energy followed him the moment he lifted his head to see what was coming at him next, and he abandoned his knife to get incinerated by the blast. When the green blast went through the knife, it left it white-hot. Marcus was not willing to see how far he could push his aura to see how long he could hold that knife before it scalded his hand.

With a determined look in his eyes, Marcus loaded his gun with blinding speeds and fired at the ginger girl. Penny was ready for it this time, however, and fired off more of those green blasts that rendered his knife useless. That wasn't the only knife that Marcus had on his person, but that was one of his favorite knives.

The next time he had to dodge one of Penny's blasts, he leaned back so far his head nearly touched the roof, and on his way up he gripped the handle of another spare knife in his right boot and yanked it out. It wasn't as long or as dangerous as the other blade, but if used correctly it would be just as lethal. He considered throwing the knife at the girl, but if she could react this quickly to his bullets and learn to adapt to his style after just seeing him fight once, then he didn't like the thought of wasting one of his precious blades. He only had scarce few left and it was a pain trying to find more.

_I have to get up close_. He repeated to himself as he continued to dodge the energy beams while fighting off the swords at the same time. He could do this all day, and probably even outlast the girl. But without her needing to say if he knew that she wasn't trying to beat him here, she was just trying to stall for time for Qrow and them to get here and outnumber him. Marcus was confident in himself, but against Qrow, Winter, and whoever they bring with them all at the same time was something he was not entirely willing to test his skills against.

But he couldn't get passed these damned blasts and swords. Marcus sneered as he was forced to continue moving and waste energy trying to get closer to her without losing his precious aura. He would need every drop of it that he could. This girl was obviously much more experienced than she looked, and her stone-cold expression never shifted or even moved the entire time they fought. It was like she was possessed or something. He had to wait for her to make a mistake, to run out of energy and drain herself of aura. All these blasts had to be powered by something, and that pack on her back seemed way too small to actually fit those small swords in it. Which meant that her aura had to be powering these abilities which had to be some kind of semblance. Unless she was a maiden like Cinder, which she isn't because she didn't have the same flaming eyes, then she had to run out of power some time.

Minutes later, he saw it as her eye twitched and flicked on and off with light. Her arms fell slightly before she forced them back up. The blades were being flung at him a little slower, and the green blasts were growing dimmer in light and the final nail in the metaphorical coffin was when her light green aura flickered on and off, threatening to break down entirely. By this point, Marcus was heaving for air, he still had most of his aura, but his stamina and mind were nearly exhausted with how long and fast he needed to keep up a pace in order to outlast her.

Finally, one of her arms dropped with her exhaustion.

Marcus snapped toward her in an instant. That arm was dropped for just a second, but that second was all he needed to get halfway to her and throw caution to the wind as he threw his smaller knife at her. Penny widened her eyes and raised her arm to block it, but the blade pierced through her weak aura and all the way through her arm, a shocked expression was on her face as Marcus was suddenly in her guard.

A metal knee slammed into her gut, bending her over double before she was forced down to her knees after Marcus pistol-whipped her across the top of her skull, being out of bullets and not wanting to waste time reloading.

Penny weakly held up an arm to defend herself, but it was far too slow. Marcus raised his other heel up and _slammed _it down on the top of her head with a loud metallic clang. Penny's face was smashed against the roof and the metal warped and wrapped around her head. Marcus had to wrench his own foot out in order to free the limb before taking a few steps back. Watching her just in case she decided that she wasn't out of the fight yet.

After a few seconds, Marcus was sure of himself and turned to run off into the inching darkness of the city.

The moment he turned around, the obvious sound of metal being ripped and thrown threatened to deafen him, and he turned around just in time to catch a sword between his hands.

Penny had some of the skin on her forehead ripped off, and her hair was out of its style and frizzled every which way. She was clearly out of aura and had have felt some pain, but she just kept coming at him! And for some reason, she wasn't bleeding at all. It was like she was made of metal.

Marcus roared as he pushed the hand-held sword to the side and grabbed Penny's bare shoulder and forced her to the ground. It had to be some kind of semblance keeping her going at this point. Her wounds weren't bleeding and were instead crackling with green electricity. His bare fingers gripped her shoulders tightly, and he waited for the familiar sensation of a semblance being stolen away.

Instead, he felt nothing. There was nothing to steal from this girl.

"What the hell are you?" Marcus asked in his shock, his semblance never had nothing to steal before. Even if someone never unlocked their semblance, he would be able to steal it. It's what he did with Mercury and others who tried to fight him unprepared.

Penny turned her head over her shoulder at an unnatural angle and smirked at him.

"I am Combat Ready." She said in a staticky robotic tone.

Marcus blinked his eyes twice, suddenly realizing what he has been dealing with. There was no flesh or bones underneath her skin when he looked at her open forehead. Instead, it was pure metal.

"You're a fucking android!?"

Right before he got shot in the side. His aura went up just in time to protect himself from any damage, but the bullet still forced him to get off of Penny and roll onto the downward slope of the roof. Marcus groaned and loaded his gun as fast as he could, but couldn't lock it in fast enough before a hail of bullets fired into his hand and shoulder. White aura flaring desperately to protect his body.

After letting himself tank some more bullets. Marcus gritted his teeth and fired back for once. He saw who was shooting him, and it was that same guy that Qrow bossed around back when he was recruiting Tenne. His bullets also didn't get near him, two guys out of uniform blocked them with riot shields.

Marcus let out an explosive frustrated sigh and realized that he was too slow in defeating the android girl. The cavalry has arrived.

A bird flew into the moon above them and Qrow turned into a human the moment it disappeared into the night. The old huntsman landed on the roof in front of Mackie and Verdant, his sword flipping out to its full length immediately. Then lastly, Winter Schnee herself appeared helping the android back up to her feet. Penny, despite being an android was still capable of becoming exhausted, leaning bodily against the specialist as she made her way beside Qrow, looking down on the Black.

"Marcus Black," Winter called out, allowing Seth to take her away.

"Isn't this supposed to be a secret or something?" Seth asked Mackie and Verdant as they continued guarding him and the injured girl.

They shrugged helplessly in response.

"Cousin," Marcus taunted with a knowing smirk. Winter sneered at the very thought, but could not and would not hopelessly try to deny that they were distantly related. Not after seeing the proof with her own eyes. "I haven't met you in person before little Schnee, you sure this is the way you want to meet an old relative?"

"Like you care for who is and who isn't related to you," Qrow growled at him. Ending the back and forth before it could even start. Marcus felt a stab of guilt at the thought of his son, Qrow hit closer to home than he really thought. "You have nowhere to go, Marcus, you can't hope to defeat us all at the same time. Especially with the energy you wasted fighting a teenage girl."

"That thing isn't a real girl Qrow, no teenage girl would ever be able to hold me back like that." Marcus snapped back. Qrow glared hard at him, but made no motion to deny it. The grip on the handle of his large sword tightened, and his red eyes burned with anger.

"You're coming with us, Marcus." The huntsman said. "And you're going to tell us all you know, and give back Ruby's semblance."

Marcus perked up at the sound of Summer's daughter's name. "Little red?" He chuckled darkly. "Of course that's why you haven't tried to kill me yet. That's good to know, you're not going to kill me until I give that annoying little speed semblance of hers back, are you?"

Qrow glared at him.

"While that is an objective, that is all but secondary," Winter said as she stepped forward, aiming her long saber at him. "Our primary objective is to eliminate you as a threat, we were only obligated to tell you to surrender before we attacked you."

Marcus' smirk slowly died. "That so?" He took a step back, it peeked over the ledge of the roof. It began to rain as he stood off against many skilled opponents by himself. Running in this situation was nearly impossible, and since Cinder wasn't here yet, she was going to be too late before she got there in time to save him. He'd either be killed or captured here. The latter still leading to his inevitable execution even if he surrendered.

Which meant there was only one other option.

"You still wish to fight?" Winter asked as Marcus got into a ready stance. "I see. Do not blame yourself for what happens next."

Something wasn't right, Qrow knew it. He thought he knew Marcus back then, and that Marcus was smart enough to surrender in the eyes of obvious defeat. But this was clearly a different Marcus, he was even smarter and even more dangerous. So there was no plausible way that he thought fighting them was a good idea. He'd lose. He had to know that. He might stand a chance against him and Winter by himself, albeit small, but with Seth and his crew here as well, that chance was zero.

He grew extremely suspicious when Marcus smirked at him, specifically him, and slowly raised two fingers up to his forehead. It was his signature way of saying 'so long' or 'see you later'. But why was he making it now?

They stood off intense silence as both sides waited for the other to make the first move. Marcus kept standing there with a smirk on his face and two fingers to his forehead as if he was saluting them, but that didn't make him any less dangerous. He still had a live firearm and blades hidden on his body. Appearing unarmed didn't make him any less dangerous.

Qrow and Winter looked to each other from the corner of their eyes, and then looked back to Marcus. The rain was in full force at this point, dripping everywhere and making the roof slippery to the step. It was upcoming to be a full-blown storm, and the scene was getting more and more tense with each passing second.

Like a flash, Qrow and Winter fired off their back feet to attack him. Marcus' eyes softened and a sigh escaped his lips as they grew closer. But right as they made contact with his body with synchronized attacks, lightning blasted through the sky, and their blades struck nothing.

"What?" Winter widened her eyes with mass confusion. He was there and then he wasn't. From behind her, she could hear Seth and his friends were just as shocked as she was. "Where did he go?!" She asked Qrow.

"I don't fucking know!" Qrow screamed, angry with himself and his hesitation. "He was in front of us and then he just… just…" Qrow's eyes slowly widened more and more as a realization came to him. He was staring at something.

Winter followed his gaze and did the same.

In the wake of Marcus' disappearance, what was left behind was a single glowing white rose petal, slowly evaporating away.

* * *

Hours later, Marcus walked out into an open street in the impoverished side of Vale. The people there saw him eyed him suspiciously and he knew that they recognized them, but at the moment he really couldn't care less for that. The storm got more intense and his body shivered from the cold and his drenched clothing. His white hair stuck to his face in places and with each step a lot slap could be heard. His white aura continuously flickered and steamed as it borderline active and inactive. He was running on fumes as it was, and what he did to get away took a lot out of him.

"_You did good." _The voice in his head spoke. Marcus sighed through his nose as he kept walking, his aura finally breaking as he took his next few steps. "_You could have killed that girl, but you didn't."_

"Shut up, that thing wasn't a girl at all." Marcus snapped in his irritation. "Now's not the time to think- to speak to me right now."

The voice seemed to obey him there, and soon he felt his scroll vibrate for what had to be the twelfth time, it started minutes after his escape, but he never bothered to pick it up. Again, Cinder's blank profile picture and her name flickered to life on the screen, and this time he stopped walking and held it out in front of him.

Sighing, he dried one hand from the inside of his pocket and selected the accept call button, hearing the voice come through on the other side the moment he slid it across the screen.

Roman's voice was heard before his face appeared. "_Mark? The hell have you been up to? Cinder's going crazy looking for you, for a sec there I thought they actually managed to get ya."_

"I'm fine," Marcus said flatly. The reflection in the scroll's screen showed a very tired man. "Why are you calling me from Cinder's scroll?"

Roman snickered. "_She left it behind when she went to try and help you at that warehouse Junior squealed about before Cinder offed him. I just happened to give it a few tries myself just in case you weren't captured or anything."_

"Heh," An inkling of a smirk curved up from his lips. "Well, you can tell Cinder that I'm fine. I escaped using a little trick of mine."

"_Yeah? Unless you suddenly gained a second semblance like Neo's, I think there's more to this little trick of yours." _Roman pointed out, but didn't try to pry to get more information on that. He knew better than to agitate his old partner. "_So where are you now?"_

"Southern Vale, near the Locked Gate."

"_You mean the one district that the council doesn't care about enough to govern properly? Hah, you really like making things difficult, do ya?"_

Marcus shrugged his shoulders and looked around himself. The homeless people that were sitting around him all stood up and started to encircle him. He let them, there was time to deal with them later. "You know it's one of my special charms." He said.

"_You can say that again,"_ Roman laughed. "_Alrighty, I'll send Neo to go tell Cinder you're fine. Stay put, I'll get one of my guys to trace your location… Wait a sec, that doesn't look like southern Vale."_

Marcus looked away from the screen, just as someone stepped out of the darkness before him and into his visible vision. "_Where are you, really?"_ Roman asked him. Marcus didn't bother to look back.

"I'll talk to you later, Roman."

"_HEY-"_

Marcus thumbed the scroll off and shut it off. Dropping it onto the wet road beneath him as he kept his gaze forward. Looking toward one of his fellow assassins, the one who recruited him in the first place.

"Welcome back, Marcus." The shadowy man said as he rubbed his hands together. "What possessed you to return to us when you have a bounty of millions on your head? You either have plans to try and overthrow me or you are here to surrender yourself."

"Neither of those, actually," Marcus said as he kept a hand on his gun. His knives were gone, left behind back on that rooftop and as useless as the White Fang that resided in that building. He was out of aura and surrounded, which meant that considering the novices that were the assassins around him now, it was an even fight. "I'm here to bargain."

"Bargain?" The assassin leader laughed. "You are hardly in a position to bargain with us, Marcus. You've been declared excommunicated after-"

"After you tried to get my son to kill me?" Marcus cut him off with a scoff. "Don't make me laugh, I was getting old and you wanted to start training the next generation. Little did you know Mercury was nowhere near ready to work with you all, especially when Brett foolishly gave him the reward of freedom."

"Still just as prickly as ever," The figure sighed. "You haven't changed ever since I recruited you over twenty years ago. I still remember training you myself, to think you would have become the man you are now…" Lightning flashed and lit up the entire area. Marcus was able to see in that split second the dozens upon dozens of other assassins just like he was all around him and the supreme leader. There was no chance of fighting out of this one. The leader himself had dark brown skin, black hair and just as black eyes, and if the rumors were true then he was also the headmaster of one of the academies. Rumors. He had no name, he never revealed it and it was known that he cast it aside years ago as a teenager to become as anonymous as possible. So he's been unofficially been nicknamed 'Anon' as a way to refer to him. He was also still the man that had trained Marcus alongside his father, and he grew off of those training lessons to become as dangerous as he was today. But even then, he didn't know if he was good enough to slay the leader in a fight by himself. He might be, but he never tried, and now wasn't a good time to see if he really was good enough.

"If I had known you would have come _this _far. I would have put a knife in your belly instead of in your hand."

"Would have saved me a lot of trouble if you had," Marcus muttered. "I'm here to envoke the ultimate rite of all master level assassins," Some of the assassins around him gasped as they heard took out a rectangular piece of metal. Engraved on the metal with red ink were the initials M.B. Marcus used his strength to bend the metal, and then tossed it to the leader of the assassins who caught it in one hand. "I hope you remember what that is, old man."

Anon, as is what Marcus is going to refer to him from now on. Sneered at him with obvious annoyance. "I assume you wish to envoke your rite to attempt to earn yourself freedom from this organization?" He asked. "I hope _you _know that the _Felada_ I am now obligated to give you will push you beyond any limits, physical or no, you may have built for yourself up to this point."

"I've already killed hundreds of people," Marcus smirked emptily. "I'm okay to kill a few more."

"Very well," Anon bent the rectangular coin the other way and snapped it into two pieces, then let the pieces fall to the ground. "As _Felada _dictates, you are now required to assassinate five targets of my choosing. My authorization level _infinite _gives me the right to choose anyone anywhere all over the world. But, because of what you've done for this organization, and the respect that you have earned from me for coming this far, I will be lenient and give you five targets that are within Vale as of this very moment. There is no going back beyond this point."

Marcus felt himself tense up. He nodded in acceptance.

Anon smiled. "First, the last living member of Team Mobster. Roman Torchwick." Already, Marcus started feeling his breath hitch. "Second, the one who assisted you in killing Cobe, another Master assassin. Emerald Sustrai." Marcus shut his eyes tight and let Anon finish the list. "Third. Winter Schnee. Fourth. Qrow Branwen." His teeth grit so tightly that he could feel them get stressed to the point of near fracture, but he calmed down before it could chip. "And lastly… the one who whipped you into a lost puppy, Cinder Fall."

"What? Did you expect me not to keep tabs on you?" Anon laughed when Marcus' eyes continued to widen with shock. "I know what you've been doing, and coming back to Vale where our main operations are located was a foolish mistake. Those are the five final targets for you to assassinate, and then and only then will you finally be free from us. Marcus Black, do you acknowledge these terms?"

Marcus shut his eyes and ignored the voice that screamed at him to tell them no. But the will within him churned up, and his survival instincts kicked in. He held his head up high, black eyes narrowing into a tense stare as he looked at the leader of the assassins.

"I, Marcus Black, acknowledge these terms."

Thunder bolted loudly above them. The contract was officially sealed.

"So be it," Anon said as he turned and began to walk away. One by one from the darkness, all of the other assassins began to disappear as well, leaving Marcus Black alone with scarce a word or thought to care for.

Job done, and contract sealed. Marcus walked off in the opposite direction, the darkness around him only growing more and more lacking of light as he continued moving forward, as he always has.

"Trust me…" He told the anguished voice in his head. "Just, trust me…"

Marcus Black the master assassin was back, and he had plans to make.

* * *

**Yes, I've done a lot of research into the John Wick assassin organization and opted to borrow an idea or two from them. Obviously here this organization that I have not yet revealed the name of is different and isn't exactly the same, but there are some undeniable similarities between the two. The assassins that Marcus abandoned were never just something that was going to go away, and something like this needed to happen. And all the stress that has been accumulating within Marcus kept growing and growing ever since he returned to Vale, and even more so after Salem. A man gets desperate for freedom, especially when he does not have it. **

**However, what **_**is **_**Marcus Black planning? Only one person knows, and spoiler alert. It's me.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the story!**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	14. Chapter 14

**Here we go again, Marcus Black returning with another chapter. Y'know, a reviewer PM'd me between last and this chapter saying that this really stood out from the ocean of Jaune stories and other kinds that are based around… fandom enjoyments. When I do look into some of the other stories, I do see what they meant and can very well understand my own admitted frustration that no matter how hard I can try making this story as good as it can be, I cannot shift what people like. With that said, even if this story is never going to be as popular as those stories, I'm going to continue and finish it anyway. I shall break away from the norm! This Dark driven story shall reach at least a 100 follows before it's over!**

**Also, for those who have not seen Volume 7 of RWBY just yet, I implore you to at least look up the Atlesian Ace Ops that have just been revealed. That is important for understanding this alteration to some plans for this story.**

**In all seriousness, I am grateful for the audience that I do have. Because at least it is still an audience to begin with.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 14**

* * *

_Made some interesting choices after that, definitely not the smartest in the world but… at least I made them..._

"Where is he?" Cinder asked Roman as she grabbed him by the collar the moment he stepped into the same room as him. From the corner of her eye, she could see Neo obviously having a problem with that, but far too concerned with what would happen if she were to step in. It would be far worse if she actually tried to stop her. "Did you find out where he is?"

"H-hold on a second there," Roman said in a frantic and surprisingly calm tone considering the situation he was in at the moment.

One of Cinder's eyes flamed with impatient anger.

"He said he was in Southern Vale! Near the Locked Gate!" Roman spat out as quickly as he could. He knew it wasn't true, going off of what Marcus implied when he called him on the scroll, but it was the only thing he had right now and he was afraid that if he gave Cinder nothing that she would have given _him _something for it.

"Southern Vale?" Cinder dropped Roman and took a step back, thinking to herself as she scratched the area underneath her chin. Her mood took a complete one-eighty, and Roman remembered one of the many reasons that he was afraid of this woman. At any second she could lose her temper and patience with him and kill him however she wanted, and Neo wouldn't be able to do anything about it besides desperately dying with him in an attempt to defend or avenge him. Most likely the latter when it came to Cinder. "That's impossible, he was ambushed in Eastern Valeand more North, how would he be able to get from there to the South?" She chuckled at a thought. "He must be more skilled than he let me believe. Interesting, very interesting."

"Yes, it is very interesting and Mark is a very dangerous and skilled guy," Roman agreed easily, too easily, and more sarcastic than he really had the right to be considering Cinder was just about to kill him a moment ago. "Last I heard from him he made it sound like he was on his way back," He lied through his teeth, the lie came out as smooth as air went into his lungs. "Though he sounded pretty tired, so don't expect him to be back so soon. Guy went up against a whole squad of people who were chosen to specifically go after him."

"I see," Cinder nodded her head with understanding. "All men have their limits, very well. Roman, keep me posted on anything you hear about our dear Marcus. I must speak to him in person before I move on to infiltrate Beacon." She looked to Neo next, who shrunk under her stare. "Be ready to return to Beacon Mute. Emerald is running out of excuses to why her partner has been late and absent to so many classes."

Neo huffed and rolled her eyes. Might as well giving Cinder a sarcastic yes before she blinked out of existence using her semblance. A curious ability, Cinder thought. But not one that couldn't be handled. She didn't know how it exactly worked, but glass-breaking visuals aside, it seemed like some sort of teleportation semblance. A rare one certainly, and in the hands of an assassin like her, it was little wonder how the tales she's heard about the 'Quiet Assassin' came to be.

"You sure you don't want me sending her to go find Marcus?" Roman questioned. As long as it has been since he and his old Beacon partner parted ways, and ignoring all of the killings he has done, Marcus was still considered a friend. Not a friend that he _trusted _per se, but he looked after his friends. He was one of the only people he knew from Beacon who didn't want to arrest or attack him, and the only one he left on good terms with. Saving someones life would do that.

Cinder thought about his question for a moment and considered it. With Neo's skills, she would probably be able to find the Black quickly. "No," She denied calmly. "Neo has other things to concern herself with, Marcus can handle himself to come back here."

Roman refrained from sniggering. She says that but she very nearly revealed herself by almost attacking the squad that was put together to find and capture Marcus. He's never seen her actually worry about someone, if nearly killing one of her own subordinates could be counted as that. But her worry was more warranted by necessity. Which put Marcus in an interesting spot. Cinder felt like she needed him for something, what that something was isn't something he knows or cares enough about. As far as Cinder goes, Marcus can worry about her all by himself.

"Alright," Roman said picked up his cane that he dropped when Cinder grabbed him by the collar. "I'll go back to doing my dust robbing thing, see if we can get any more than we already have." They had all the dust that they needed already but he wasn't going to try and stay in the same room with Cinder any longer than he had to.

Cinder barely regarded him with a murmur as he turned and grabbed the doorknob of exit to the room, but before he could twist it and push through, he found himself being pulled forward slightly as the door seemingly began to open it by itself. Roman felt himself jump out of his own skin as he suddenly saw a bruised white-haired man with black eyes pull the door open so hard that it slammed against the outer wall.

Roman's shock turned into a distant feeling of concern as Marcus looked him up and down, realized that he was an ally, and then let himself fall forward in his exhaustion. Roman caught him instinctively and gently let him down slowly, letting the larger man lean into his arms for support.

Cinder didn't even realize what was going on before Roman called to her saying that he found him. She was by his side and next to Marcus in an instant.

"Marcus? Are you well?" She asked as she placed a hand on his chest.

"Trust me… Trust me…" Marcus muttered, not even acknowledging Cinder's words. "Just trust me… I know what I'm doing."

"He's delirious." Cinder said as she waved for Roman to take him to the couch.

"He's exhausted," Roman said as he tapped the tip of his cane against Marcus' back. "And out of aura. Man, what the hell did you do to yourself."

"Trust me…" Marcus murmured. "Shorty…"

"Hey!" Roman exclaimed with an indignant pout. "I am not short at all!"

"He'll be fine, good." Cinder said as she stepped out from behind him. Roman winced at her presence, momentarily forgetting that she was there in the same room with him by mistake thanks to his ill friend. "You have something to do now Roman, make sure that he gets well and stay with him until he is recovered. We have more than enough dust thanks to your very successful raid on that SDC freighter ship."

"Yeah, sure, why not…" Roman huffed as he stood and sat in the other chair beside where Marcus was lying. "Not like I got anything better to do, like run the entire Criminal Underworld."

"I'm sure they can live without you for a few days." Cinder said while still looking at Marcus. Something about that rubbed Roman the wrong way, just why was she so interested in him? When she looked away and started leaving the room, Roman let out a relaxed exhale of air for once. Looking down at his ex-partner as he shut his eyes and finally went to sleep.

He must have managed to get from the South, somewhere in the South, or wherever the hell he actually went, all the way here with drained aura and exhausted muscles and through a city that had put a manhunt bounty on his head.

"Man… you really are more trouble than you're worth," Roman said as he rested the back of his head on the cushion behind him, and tilted his hat forward to cover his eyes. "Don't wake up screaming or else I am going to kick your ass."

* * *

Marcus groaned and rubbed his forehead as he slowly willed himself to wake up. No dreams this time, that was good. He was wondering if his own mind was trying to drive him insane ever since that night in the bathroom when he actually started to hallucinate. That didn't mean that _those _thoughts were gone, however. They were going to stick with him as long as he lives, and while he once had a chance to rid himself of that pain, that chance was long gone now for over a dozen years.

The memories of everything that happened the previous night ran through his mind. The ambush, that damn android girl that nearly got him caught. Doing what he did to getaway was a heavy risk, but it was something that needed to be done. It would be a piss poor ending to his story if it ended with him getting tortured to death my Ironwood asking him for information. He knew what happened to high priority prisoners like that, he's been to Atlas enough times to know that and he's _seen _it on one of his missions. Atlas was not the kindest to its prisoners, and it showed. Oh did it show… One time they did the assassinating for him when he had a contract to kill one of the prisoners.

A snore from his side made him instinctively reach for his knife, but he stopped himself once he realized that it was Roman. Right, he forgot about that. His old partner, unfortunately, had to deal with his lethargic and exhausted self. That must have been surprising, he hoped that Cinder didn't see him that way.

"_Your first target is the last living member of Team Mobster, Roman Torchwick." _Anon's words flowed through his mind like lava down a volcano. Burning and full of hate. With a narrowed eye, he looked back toward his last teammate.

Roman Torchwick was right there, asleep with his cane in a spot where it would be hard to grab and use to defend himself, and here he was. A master assassin with knives and his own two hands as weapons. It would be so easy, pitifully easy. He's killed people in their sleep before, sometimes huntsman since that was the easiest way to get them off their back. He was more than quiet enough and at an arms distance, he didn't even need to stand up to slash his neck with the knife he already has in his hand.

Marcus shifted in his seat and stared at the sleeping Roman with a knife in his hand. Thankfully, he always had one hidden somewhere on his body. Whether in his boots, a strap on his side or arms, or a special pocket sewn into his pants. Roman snored away peacefully and he could practically see the Z's coming out of his mouth as he exhaled.

So easy… it would be so easy…

"Wake up," Marcus demanded as he kicked one of Roman's legs hard. The master criminal woke up with a panicked yelp.

"Ah, the hell?" Roman said as he fixed his hat. "I thought you were supposed to be the sleepy one mister pass out, what are you doing awake so early?"

Marcus hummed. "Men of my profession learn to live off of relatively little sleep."

"That so?" Roman raised an eyebrow as he leaned on one of the armrests of his chair. "Do they also mutter to themselves in their sleep?"

Marcus widened his eyes slightly, he wanted to bring them back down to size but the damage was already done. Roman picked up on it the moment he opened them. "What did I say?" He asked, unable to remember what he might have said and was fearful of the value of those words.

"You kept saying 'Trust me'," Roman harumphed with an amused smirk. "Like you did something wrong and you're trying to convince someone to believe that you're doing the right thing. It was pretty weird, not gonna lie."

Marcus nodded and openly let out a sigh of relief, it would not have been good if Roman heard anything he wasn't supposed to hear.

"Nothing else?" Marcus asked, just to be sure.

Roman shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. Cinder said that she hoped that you got better soon, so you have that to look forward to."

"Hmph," Marcus internally rolled his eyes. "And I'm guessing she made you look after me in the meantime?"

"Got it in one," Roman smirked cockily and winked at him. "So, how's that aura looking so far? I'd check it myself, but our team link was sorta terminated about twenty years ago."

Marcus closed his eyes and looked within himself. A novice would have to rely on a scroll to check their aura percentage, but once you've trained long enough and gained experience you would be able to tell just by focusing just a little bit harder. That was what he did to figure out what state his aura is in at the moment. "About thirty percent," He said after a few moments. "Give me a day to rest and I'll be fully recovered."

"I'll say," Roman huffed. "Some fast aura regeneration you got there, all those bruises and little cuts on your body are already gone. Since we're on that, how the hell did you manage to escape all that? And where'd you go?"

Marcus looked away as he spoke. "Made a risky choice and it paid out, and I already told you where I was."

"If you expect me to believe what you told me, you don't know me very well." Roman pointed out.

Marcus simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever, I know as much as anyone that trying to force anything out of you is suicide. Only one person was ever able to get under that tight shell of yours, and she is long gone."

"If you're going to do nothing than try and force a conversation, then leave," Marcus replied.

"Is that how you're gonna treat me after I saved your life back in Glenn?" Roman laughed as he stood up, more than willing to accept Marcus' request to not sit around and do nothing. "You still owe me a favor for that you know."

"You really going to rely on an assassin to pay back a favor?" Marcus countered.

"Nope, but I'll keep bugging ya until you give up," Roman remarked as he made his way to the exit.

"As if anything would stop you…" Marcus said as he lied back down in the soft cushions, if Cinder wanted him to do something then he would rather do it at full strength, besides by going what Roman has said so far she already knew that he wasn't at a hundred percent at the moment, so she'd understand. They had plenty of time to do whatever in Vale, she could wait a little longer.

"Actually, before I go, there is _one _more thing I guess I should bring to your attention," Roman said as he leaned on the doorframe, looking at him.

"What is it?" Marcus asked.

"You were muttering 'trust me' over and over again. At first, I thought nothing of it. People say weird things when their brain is full of shitty mush because of exhaustion. But, there was something you said that made me think. You said, "Trust me, shorty."

Marcus kept his face blank and emotionless.

"I played it off like that was an old nickname you had for me," Roman continued. "But we both know who you really used that nickname for."

"You're overthinking it," Marcus said. "It's like you said, I was delirious and didn't know what I was saying. It was nonsense."

They stared into each others eyes for a good long while.

"Well, if you say so," Roman said in a much more uppity tone. "I'm gonna go make sure that the animals haven't decided to kill all my men, you rest up and let Cinder know you're okay. Something big is coming up pretty soon, so you better be ready for it."

Marcus waved him away and his chance left with Roman. He sighed heavily as he lied back down and kicked off his boots with another relieved sigh at the sudden cool sensation that he felt all around his feet. One problem at a time, he told himself. If he killed Roman right there, then Cinder and everyone would ask questions, and they would know that he was going to be to blame for that. Neo would have came after him, Cinder would have been bitchy about it, it was more trouble than it was worth.

So Roman got to live for a little while longer, to the benefit or peril to him. It looked like he got a little mouthy while he was half-asleep last night, but thankfully Roman decided to play it off like it was an old prank. That was good, maybe he would pay back that favor after all. The longer that Cinder doesn't know about what's going on in his head, the better.

_But he knows_. Marcus' mind pointed out. _He's smart, he already figured out that something is wrong. _And yet he wasn't going to do anything about it unless it became a recurring problem. Roman was already destined to die anyway, if not by his own hands than by the hands of some other huntsman or huntress or maybe even to a Grimm. Everyone was fated to die someday, even him.

Shutting his eyes closed, he had to force himself to relax before he was able to go back to sleep. Hopefully, he would have another dreamless rest.

* * *

"I see," General Ironwood said as he finished listening to Winter's full report on the attempted capture on Marcus Black. The woman before him looked like she had a scarce amount of resting the previous night, but she was determined to follow up on the report that she was required to make. "Penny is severely damaged and has been sent back to my ship for repairs. As for Qrow and his friends, what of them?"

"Qrow has assured me that the official story was a routine raid on a found White Fang operations base." Winter recited. "As for him, Penny, and I, we were never there."

"And so our confidential manhunt for the assassin continues," Ironwood said with a smile. "And how are you, Winter? Seeing him must not have been easy, considering what he's done, and what he is."

"Marcus Black is an assassin, and a stain on my family's history," Winter said with genuine hate for the man. "He nearly killed my sister and tore apart the pride of Team RWBY. Apart from all the atrocities he has committed, he will never be a man that deserves any kind of penance."

"I couldn't agree more," Ironwood said with a determined look in his eyes. "How is Qrow taking all this?"

"As well as one could expect," Winter said with a roll of her eyes that had Ironwood smirking out of amusement. "Most likely he is drowning his failure in alcohol as usual, as is the friends he brought with him."

"Could you blame him? He was so close to catching him, and he fell right through his fingers, through _all _of our fingers." Ironwood amended. "With someone who has more right and cause than any of us to go after that man, I'd do the same thing if I were him."

"Hm," As much as Winter wasn't on such great terms with the drunkard, she still felt sympathetic for him. Not that she'd ever let him know that. It's because of the things she's learned thanks to the General trusting her enough to let her in on the knowledge of what would mostly be considered as personal information. Team STRQ was torn apart by that one man that they'd failed to capture due to a mysterious ability. Their leader was assumingly murdered by that man, and before that one of them abandoned the road of becoming a huntsman. It was depressing to think that the one team who rose above all others years ago at a time where even Winter was a young girl who looked up to them ended up as the way they are now. One reverting down to a part-time Huntsman, another a bandit, and the last one a drunkard man desperately trying to keep himself together. It was part of the reason why Winter let Qrow get away with more than he knew, if he was amused by teasing her like he annoyingly liked to do so much, then so be it. She'd dealt with much worse being the former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.

"I suppose you are correct."

"Indeed. In fact, I have been considering calling in my Ace Operatives to come deal with this threat." Ironwood revealed.

Winter felt her eyes widen ever so slightly. "They would be enough to do more than capture him, sir."

"I know." Ironwood looked her in the eyes. "If the opportunity to capture him arrives before I make that decision, then so be it. But you and I both know that Marcus Black will not simply let himself be defeated, and with the training his must have received… I hardly believe we'd be able to get anything out of him anyway."

"Sir…?"

"I am asking for your opinion, Winter." Ironwood clarified. "Marcus is too dangerous to be left alive, for decades he has terrorized the world with his assassinations and his semblance to steal other semblances makes it so normal huntsman won't be enough to take him down. So, what do you think I should do? Call in the Ace ops, give the order and have them hunt down this man with the intent to kill, or give capturing him alive some more faith and allowing your secret mission to continue."

"Sir…" Winter began, she didn't know what to say but years of discipline and training made it so that she could push through those restrictions of shock. "A part of me wants to say bring them in, but another part is sympathetic to my sister… I apologize for letting my personal emotions get in the way, but I ask for some more time in order to capture this man. If we manage to do so, we can potentially make him return the semblance of the leader of Team RWBY."

"I see." Ironwood nodded his head in understanding. "I will hold back on calling them in for now, but just in case I will brief them on what we know about the assassin and I must warn you, with the paladin we found and redistributed back to Atlas, our enemies may become more active. Especially during the Beacon dance, which is happening in just a few days."

"I have already made plans for that night," Winter said with a confident demeanor. "I also recommend that you further bolster the security of the CCT. It will be especially vulnerable with the staff in hardly less than a skeleton crew."

"I shall," Ironwood said. "Now, with that out of the way. I now have other things to concern myself with, after being named head of security for Vale for the duration of now until the end of the Vytal Festival, there is much work to be done."

"Understood," Winter said as she saluted and made to leave.

_I better not regret this, Qrow. _Winter thought as she left the room. _Don't let me regret doing that for you… Please..._

* * *

"Yang?" Ruby said as she nudged her sister in the side. The blonde was conscious, but barely. The concussion was severe and she needed weeks of rest before she can even be allowed to stand on her own. She can eat and drink well, and her wounds were healing well as well. The broken nose reset and the swollen bruises and cuts on her face were almost invisible now thanks to her aura. As far as the dance went, it didn't look like any boys were about to ask Yang out with her in this condition.

"Ruh?" Was all Yang could exert as a response.

"Dad is coming to Beacon to see you," Ruby said, smiling. Yang rolled her eyes and huffed through her nose, Ruby giggled at that. "You know he worries a lot, and especially after what happened I'm surprised he isn't here already."

"Ugh…" That, Ruby understood.

"At least she is still herself," Weiss said as she sat in the chair opposite of Ruby and on the other side of Yang's hospital bed. She sported a broken arm and had multiple lacerations on her body when the paramedics got to her. Her outfit was actually ruined after that girl nearly killed her, she had to wear an alternate outfit she apparently saved up for a casual day out. A white dress with buttons that looked similar to her normal outfit, but with no blue or red. "It seems like not even brain damage could fix that… how unfortunate."

"Scu yu," Yang snapped back.

"Hey, do you know where Blake is?" Ruby asked her partner. "I haven't seen her since we got back to Beacon…"

"Blake is…" Weiss huffed and shook her head. "I don't know where she is. I would be mad at her not being here, but she thinks this is all her fault since we came to the docks solely just to find her."

The worst part was that Ruby couldn't even deny that. It was Blake's fault that they were torn apart by Marcus Black and his allies. If she didn't run away, they would have never gone to the docks. Sure, the bad guys would have gotten the dust, but they got the dust anyway even with them there to fight them. But she would have still had her semblance, Yang wouldn't be concussed, Sun wouldn't have gotten shot, and Weiss wouldn't have lost her weapon.

"I hope she tries to talk to us soon." Despite all that, Ruby still wanted to see her friend. No matter what Blake was in the past, White Fang or no, she fought and bled for them and was defeated along with them. It wasn't like she didn't try to do anything, she was out of aura before they even got there in time to help her and Sun out. "How is Sun doing?" Ruby asked next.

"He's recovered, last I heard," Weiss said. "It was a simple gunshot and the bullet went all the way through. All that was needed was bandages, rest, and aura boosters."

"That's good." Ruby smiled. It was more than what she heard about Penny. There was nothing to go off of to see how her new friend was doing…

"And you?" Weiss suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"Your training you dolt, didn't you hear what I just said?" Weiss asked with obvious irritation in her voice.

Ruby chuckled nervously in response, she must have been zoned out.

Weiss rolled her eyes and opted to repeat the question. "I asked how your training is going so far. Fighting without the use of your speed must be a… learning experience."

Oh. That. Ruby fidgeted in her seat. It's been weeks since she lost her semblance to Marcus Black, and during those weeks she has been training practically nonstop to try and learn how to fight without having to rely on her speed like she always did before. And honestly, little progress was being made. She had to drop and forget her entire fighting style to try and learn Uncle Qrow's scythe style, and she was also afraid that she would have to try and learn a new weapon since learning how to fight with a scythe was such a difficult task. It was so much different than a normal sword-like Jaune's or Pyrrha's. With her semblance gone, she wasn't just average, she was below average in terms of speed. Her muscles always had this strange tingly feeling and even her perception of time slowed drastically. What felt like an hour before now felt like two hours. It made classes horrible, she was glad she was able to have this break.

"It's going," Ruby half lied. "There's not much else I can do except train as much as I can. Thankfully headmaster Ozpin waived my work for the month so I can try and get back on my feet." She forced herself to let out a cheerful laugh that seemed to fool Weiss.

"That's good to hear," Weiss smiled. "I lost Myrtenaster, but my sister was kind enough to let me borrow one of her saber's when my arm fully heals. So all I'd need to do is just get my conditioning back up to par."

"I'll help you with that," Ruby promised. "Or maybe we can get Pyrrha to train us alongside Jaune. I hear that she sprints around Beacon every morning."

Weiss winced at the thought. "Yeah… sure."

Ruby let an amused smirk creep up her lips at Weiss' uncomfortable face. Pyrrha really was a monster in the sense of a champion. She definitely earned the title. The only one who ever came close to beating her was that Emerald girl, and only because she actually managed to get Pyrrha down to the yellow on the aura counter. The only time Pyrrha ever went that low before.

She wondered how good Pyrrha would do against Marcus Black, if the Invincible Girl could stand up to someone like him.

"H-hey, Weiss…" Ruby said as her thoughts instantly wrapped around the topic of that man. "What do you think of that… man that we fought at the docks."

"You mean the one you and Yang fought," Weiss corrected. "I never fought him, his ally distracted me. But… I don't know if I would have even helped against him." She shrugged helplessly.

"He tore us apart like we were nothing," Ruby said, balling her hands into fists at the memory. "Is that the difference between a true huntsman and a student? Did he even really try against us? He looked so… bored while fighting us, the only time he only showed any kind of react was when…" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

Yang reached over and placed her hand on hers, Ruby wrapped her fingers around it and squeezed. Yang knew what she meant, that man knew their mother, and he implied that he knew what happened to her. If he was the one who killed her…

"It's okay," Weiss came around and wrapped her up in a one-armed hug, Ruby didn't even realize she had tears coming out of her eyes and leaned into her touch. "You don't need to say it."

Team RWBY was in shambles, but even though these impossibly hard times, they did their best to stick together. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all got hurt in many different ways, and Blake blamed herself for it all. But Ruby knew that this was what the life of a huntress would bring.

She wouldn't give up. _Couldn't _give up. Not when she was so close to finally finding out exactly what happened to her mother that lead to her depressingly early death.

* * *

Marcus stood up in front of the same mirror he did some nights ago when he first met Salem and realized that there was definitely a Queen of the Grimm. His white hair flowed down to block some of his vision, but he brushed it aside with his hands to give his eyes some vision of his own face and body. The burn scars were still there, and likely would stay there as a permanent reminder that he can't defeat Cinder in a one on one. Among the entire list of people he had to kill, she was someone he didn't know how to approach. Magic was magic, and he didn't know how it worked. For all he knew, she would notice him the moment he tried to sneak around her.

Water splashed against his face and he felt a relaxed sensation. His eyes shut to let the water slide down his face and drip down into the sink, and when he opened them he jumped backward when he saw _her _face staring back at him over his shoulder once again. Once he realized that the ghost he saw was just another one of his hallucinations, he cursed and shut off the water flowing out of the sink.

"Shut up," He said to no one. "Just shut up and let me do my work."

Nothing replied to him and he mentally slapped himself for being so damn paranoid. He wasn't crazy, it was just a side effect of his semblance. Taking the semblances of others lead to taking a tiny piece of their soul with their powers, which of course lead to shit like Summers sad smiley face popping up every now and again. Out of all the voices he heard every once in the while, hers was the most prevalent and was heard the most often. She always was a chatty bitch, the damn shorty didn't know when to shut up sometimes.

He looked to his side at the feeling of a tiny breeze blowing into his side and saw Neo with an indignant pout as she worked at trying to untie the pigtails at the sides of her head. Marcus raised an eyebrow and smirked out of amusement when she gave up and used her semblance to make it look like her hair was all back to normal.

"Cinder's in Beacon now?" Marcus asked just to make sure.

Neo rolled her eyes and nodded her head in response.

There went his most powerful target. Gone for a time, but he would see her again soon. He knew it. "How's Beacon?" He asked as he picked up his shirt and stuck his head through the opening. "Enjoying yourself as a student over there."

Neo stuck up her favorite finger at him. It was the middle finger.

"Sounds about right," Marcus understood. "Well, you can tell your leader that my wounds are in fact healed, and yes, I still have that virus that she wants me to stick in the CCT." He brought out the same bugged scroll from before and waved it in front of Neo's face.

Neo batted his hand away and scowled at him.

Marcus smirked at her in response. Neo was certainly a treat, and he really didn't look forward to having to deal with her after he eventually killed Roman in order to take the first step to freedom. When she wasn't trying to murder you, she was a fun person to hang out with and tease. For obvious reasons, he preferred her that way.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get there soon." He said when Neo tapped a spot on her wrist.

Neo shook her head and signed to him.

Being a much more cohesive way to communicate with him, Marcus widened his eyes as he understood what Neo was trying to tell him. "Tomorrow? She wants you to take me to Beacon tomorrow?" He asked.

Neo crossed her arms and nodded her head. Giving him exactly what he needed to know.

"Well, shit." Marcus sighed and made sure his gun and knives were all back in their rightful places. After being ambushed he lost his main knife, so he had to procure a new one. Thankfully, after being reinstated as an assassin, albeit temporarily, he once again had access to the endless amount of secret hideouts and weapon lockers that the organization had scattered all around the world. And so his long sharp knife he mainly used for intense combat was back, along with a refreshed stock of all of his other equipment. "I get better just this morning, and I'm already being thrown literally into the lions den." He shook his head. "What is Cinder thinking? I won't be able to hold up there forever. My face is everywhere. Someone sees me or even my hair, and the whole operation is a bust."

Neo shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine, whatever." Marcus huffed and threw on the rest of his clothes to complete his outfit. "Whatever happens, it ain't my fault."

Killing kids wasn't something he enjoyed. He still did it when he was paid too, but he didn't like doing it. Hopefully, none of those kids would find him.

Because if they did, then they would have a really bad time.

* * *

**One more chapter before we get to some of the more… risky plans that I have in store for this story. Hopefully Volume 2 will be over around the early 20's in terms of chapters, and hopefully Volume 3 after that will be over by the mid-thirties. Those who read my other stories know that I'm probably not going to manage that, it's just something I do. Never forget the time I made a prologue 32 chapters. Never forget.**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	15. Chapter 15

**And we're back. Sorry about the little break, had a lot of work and all that good stuff. I feel like I've been saying that a lot… no matter, we're back for another chapter of DFB and a part of my BIG plans are going to coming into play here. Remember as I said before, this story SHOULD be around 30+ chapters. I'm going to try to keep it that way because I honestly really don't want another monster of a several hundred thousand words story with dozens of chapters. Looking at you BH, TH, and AUH. **

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 15**

* * *

_And there I was, back to where it all started…_

Neo wasted no time and while under the darkness of night she and Marcus were able to make their way to the Bullheads specifically for visitors and inhabitants of Beacon. On the way, Marcus had to watch as Neo flashed her clothes and entire appearance into that of a little teenage girl. That was another reason as to why she was so dangerous, she was able to put on a disguise in seconds. The pink, brown and white hair all faded to a shiny black color that was immediately tied up into pigtails that hung and swung from the sides of her head. The different colored eyes that she was known for was replaced for a bright green as well.

And that was just her physical appearance, her outfit went through an entire change as well. A cute little black and white dress that Marcus refrained from pointing out made her look like a maid. It was amusing in its own right, but he wasn't able to think about that for too long since they were about to infiltrate Beacon.

A thought came to him the same time a realization did. He told Cinder long ago that him infiltrating Beacon would be a bad idea because of how infamous he was, and especially when some of the staff would recognize him as well. The moment he was found out, the entire school would come crashing down on him. He wouldn't go down without a fight, but not even him could stand up against that many people and hope to come out as the winner. At the end of the day, Cinder always got what she wanted. Somehow, that rubbed him the wrong way.

If he had it his way, he'd be far away from Vale. If he'd known he'd be roped into this beforehand, he would have gladly moved to Vacuo. A vast hot and dehydrating desert was much more preferable than this shit.

"So, where do we go from here?" He asked Neo as he pulled up his hood and made sure all of his white hair was hidden.

Neo rolled her eyes and didn't give him a definitive answer, which was something he probably should have expected. He was the master assassin, so he should have known what Neo has planned already. Supposedly.

"I'm guessing Grass is going to be helping us out here?" He asked after an annoying moment of silence.

Neo gave him a thumbs up and even went as far as to clap excitedly for his very impressive achievement. Honestly, what amused him more was the fact that she knew who he was talking about when he referred to Emerald as the nickname that he gave her around the first time that he met her.

"Okay, so which Bullhead did you two hijack?" Marcus asked next.

Neo responded this time by taking his hand, which was a risky maneuver in itself since Marcus could steal her semblance away right then because of the skin to skin contact. He realized that her misplaced trust was non-existent when he realized that Neo was still wearing some kind of soft leather gloves on her hands. Smart, he supposed. He'd have to hand it to her for thinking ahead just in case he decided to go ahead and try to kill her right away.

He felt a strange chilling feeling flow up and down his spine as he felt her aura wrap around his. He looked down and saw that ever so slightly, his skin color was darker, and after Neo flicked her chin toward a puddle of water just ahead of them, he was able to see that instead of the red and black shirt that he wore, and the makeshift hoodie that he had on as well were gone. His hair was no longer the snow-white of the Schnee's, but a pitch dark black that just about anyone could have. Even his eye color was different, a dark bloody red. Very similar to Emeralds. Along with a change in clothes that made him look like a cross between a huntsman and some guy wearing casual clothes, he looked like a completely different man.

"Well then," Marcus was impressed. Though his voice wasn't changed at all, he supposed that one could be handled on his end. "Your illusionary abilities know no end, huh?"

Neo smirked at his compliment and pulled him along with her, he let her, assuming that she had to keep touching him in order to keep his disguise up. They walked through crowds of people and no one gave them a second thought as they walked past. To some, they might have looked like father and daughter, to others an interesting age difference in a relationship that may or may not be romantic. Marcus couldn't care less about what they thought, and Neo clearly didn't either as she overexaggerated the way she swung her arms as she walked with her hand in his. As long as they didn't accuse him of being the infamous Marcus Black and call the police and huntsman, they could think whatever they wanted.

After wading through the crowd Neo pulled him toward one of the open Bullheads. Marcus smirked as he saw Emerald waiting for them at one of the ships, leaning against the open shuttle impatiently as they made their way to her. She spotted them and met them halfway.

"Hello, mentor!" She greeted him excitedly in a very _Un-Emerald _like way. "It's been so long, how have you been?"

Realizing that this had to be an act, Marcus played along.

"Alright I suppose, I'm glad you were able to meet me here. Your partner was kind enough to take me to you, though she seems to be pretty affectionate." He laughed as Neo bashfully fluttered her eyelashes. It almost looked real, but it didn't feel real as she attempted to crush his hand in hers as she yanked him by and into the Bullhead.

"How have things been?" He asked, keeping up the act as he sat in the Bullhead. Luckily, it didn't seem like anyone else was going to be boarding the ship as Emerald went on to pull the lever that lifted up the shuttle door and closed it behind her.

"Alright, I suppose," Emerald said, dropping the act. "Things have been as you can expect. Annoying, irritating, obnoxious."

"You know all those words mean the same thing, right?" Marcus smirked.

"Shut up Marcus," Emerald said as she pointed her gun which now had a suppressor on the barrel pointed toward the cockpit doors.

"Hey, why did you close the gate?" The pilot asked as the door began to open. "There's plenty of more-"

His voice cut off with a nasty squelch as a bullet hole made it's home in his skull. His helmet flew off his head and Neo caught it, letting go of him and therefore dropping the disguise. Before the pilot fell to the ground lifeless, Neo put on his helmet and with a white flash, used her semblance to transform into the man. With a smirk that didn't at all match the features of his face, Neo kicked aside the pilot's body and locked the cockpit doors behind her. The co-pilot met his end right before he could call for help, blood leaked through the bottom opening of the doors.

Marcus sighed. "I don't think that was entirely necessary, but alright."

"It's necessary," Emerald said as she holstered her weapon and sat down in the seat across from him. Her bruises and wounds that he gave her some weeks ago were mostly healed now, only the last remnants of a scar remained on her collarbone where he slashed her, and her nose still looked a little out of place. But other than that, she was completely better. "It's better to silence the mice before they can squeak. I expected that someone like you would understand that."

"Got that from Cinder, didn't you?" Marcus asked with a chuckle. Emerald glared at him in response. "Eh, I guess I understand." He said. "Probably would have been pretty hard for Neo to keep up that disguise for me the whole way there. Can she fly this thing on her own?"

"Yes," The way Emerald said it suggested that it wasn't the first time Neo did something like this. Marcus immediately noted that Neo was probably even more ruthless than he was when it came to taking the lives of others. "You better sit back and relax, the fly up to Beacon isn't nearly as fast as you might expect it to be."

"Hm," Marcus did just that and let himself rest against the cushions behind him. His body rewarded him as a pleasant warm feeling flowed through his entire body. He wasn't entirely truthful when he said that he was completely recovered from the surprise ambush Qrow, Winter, and their pals were good enough to gift him just a few days ago. Sure, his aura recovered completely but that didn't mean that he was going to get better instantly. It still took time, and rest. Two things he had very little of nowadays.

Closing his eyes and sighing through his nose after making sure he was strapped in, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep. Emerald wasn't stupid enough to try and attack him when Cinder still needed him, and Neo was currently flying the ship. This seemed like a great time to rest to him.

Unfortunately, _she _saw it that way as well.

/-/

_It was raining outside when Summer lead him out of that bar. In his state of shock when she was crazy enough to hug him in front of all those other assassins, he let her pull him along until the brisk cold air and water struck his face and dampened his white hair. They didn't speak as they kept walking, Summer followed him as she always did, he didn't even mind it this time. _

_They kept walking until their feet her, which given the fact that they were both huntsman trained, they walked for several miles. Marcus sat down on a fallen tree and Summer took a seat beside him, sitting close to him instinctively to share body heat. He let it happen, she was the only one besides his woman, Olivia, who was allowed to do that to him. For the life of him, he wanted to tell her to leave, to leave him be and forget that he ever existed. But he couldn't. He's already done that once and stayed away from her for over ten years, and yet here she was, right back with him. _

"_You're still such a brood," Summer said with a light giggle as she nudged him in the side with her elbow. "Keep wearing that long face and Grimm are bound to be attracted to you,"_

"_Seems like they aren't the only ones," Marcus said flatly._

_Summer hummed and bit her lip in nervousness. "It's funny," She said after a moment. "I've been looking for you for so long, but now that I've found you, I don't know what to say…"_

_Marcus hung his head and refused to look at her. "How long…?" He muttered quietly. Summer just barely managed to hear him._

"_How long was I looking for you?" After waiting for him to nod, she answered. "Ever since you left, idiot." She scoffed. "You know how I am, I-"_

"_You never give up on your friends." Marcus finished for her. "Yeah, I remember. Though I hope my letter would have fixed that part."_

"_You're an assassin…" Summer fiddled in her seat as she reached into her white cloak. A sheet of crumpled paper was taken out. "I still have the letter."_

_The fact that she did didn't even surprise him, it was such a Summer thing to do._

"_Are you here to arrest me then?" Marcus asked, standing up and sticking his hands in his pockets as he stood in front of her. "I'm an assassin, that's my confession right there. I've killed a lot of people you know, some you might have known-"_

"_No, I'm not going to arrest you." Summer declared. Standing up to face him. She was never afraid of him, not even now. To solidify her declaration, she reached up and pulled down her hood, revealing her black-red hair and face. She was as beautiful as ever, especially now that she was a full-grown woman. Taking his hands in hers, she continued. "I came to find you to bring you back to our friends, you can still be redeemed, I know it. I've seen the good in you, and I know for a fact that you don't really want to be an assassin."_

_Marcus sneered at her. "And how do you know that?" He asked. "Don't you know what the council did that day? Bombed the fucking tunnels while we were still in it! My brother was killed because of them, my entire team was torn apart because of them! I will never be a huntsman again if it means answering them."_

"_Then don't answer to them!" Summer exclaimed. "Trust me, I was pissed off too, and Roman took it to a whole other level!"_

_Marcus widened his eyes. _

"_That's right…" Summer realized what she just revealed and immediately felt bad for it. "Roman… became a criminal. He's been robbing every store in Vale and took over the entire criminal underground. No one has been able to catch him, but at least he isn't actually hurting anyone."_

"_Tch," Marcus ripped his hands out of Summer's and spat to the side. "What's it matter to me? I didn't ask."_

"_You can't hide your emotions from me, Marcus." Summer said as she forced him to look at her. _

"_I am not the same man you once knew."_

"_Anyone can be a good person," Summer proclaimed. "If they just try, you just stopped trying."_

_Marcus glared at her, and she stared back. With his years of training and experience in being an assassin, he was able to tell that Summer was being desperate. Emotional. Despite her preaching, she was nervous around him, sad, clinging to the past. That clouded her judgment, it was only because of his unwillingness to kill her right now that he allowed her to continue on this pointless endeavor. He may have been an assassin, but Summer wasn't a target, he wasn't just going to kill someone for no reason. Especially not her._

"_This is not going to end the way you think it is, Summer," Marcus said darkly. "Turn around, walk away, and don't come back. This isn't worth it- I'm, not worth it."_

_Summer clearly considered it, but after a deep breath, she stood her ground and continued looking up at him with this bright silver eyes. With steadfast resolve, she refused her humanly instincts._

"_What are you going to do about it if I don't?" She asked, taunting him by merely standing against him. _

_Marcus reached down to his gun and took it out, he didn't aim it at her but he did flick off the safety and cock a bullet into the chamber. The threat was clear to both parties, yet Summer didn't even spare a glance toward the weapon. Instead, she just kept staring at him, a smile slowly curving up from the corner of her lips. Her hands were also on the outside of her cloak, revealing to Marcus that she foolishly came to him unarmed. Her eyes started to become rimmed with red as tears began to form in her eyes. But the smile was still there. _

_Marcus tensed his grip on the handle of his gun, he kept a stone-cold expression but couldn't bring himself to raise his gun any higher to actually take aim at the woman. They were at a standstill, emotions running wild between the two._

"_I have a daughter, you know," Summer finally broke the silence after what felt like hours of staring. "My little Ruby… I don't know if you know, but, Raven abandoned us after Yang was born. I've been taking care of both of them. I never thought I'd be a good mother, but they definitely proved me wrong." She laughed out of pure joy, the sun began to rise behind her. "Me and Tai are together now, Yang is seven and Ruby is five. They're my world."_

"_I…" Marcus' hand shook. "I have a son... and wife too."_

_Her smile became brighter as Marcus dropped his gun. The rain began to subside, but the water from Marcus' face did not cease to drip down to the ground beside his weapon._

"_Well, you can meet mine if I can meet yours," Summer promised._

_/-/_

Marcus yelped as he felt his leg burn with soreness, only to glare daggers into Neo's disguised green eyes as she giggled silently into her hand at his expense. Marcus would have liked to continue being angry at her, but instead, he mentally thanked her for waking him up at just the perfect moment. Really, she chose really bad times to try and mess with his head by making him relive these mistakes of his past. The past was the past, and nothing would be able to change what happened. Not dreams, not nightmares, not anything.

"You really fell asleep?" Emerald laughed as she dragged two wrapped up bodies and slumped them down in the center of the Bullhead. "You really are getting old, old man."

"Piss off," Marcus said as he unstrapped himself from the seat. He stood up and cracked neck and stretched still sore muscles. He must've been asleep for less than an hour, cheeky bitch said it was going to take more than that. Then again, it wasn't like he could expect Neo to fly at the normal speed limit for Beacon and Vale airspace laws.

Moving over he looked out the window and felt something clench within his chest. They were at Beacon, the sight didn't look anything less than it had in the past. He hasn't been here in over twenty years and every brick looked as pristine as ever. The school itself almost looked like a modern palace, and he couldn't imagine what kind of tech they were using in order to train the next generation of huntsman and huntresses. It was a shame, the so-called dream of so many teenage boys and girls would only end up making them merely a statistic in the eyes of the council and Ozpin. They could paint them as the greatest heroes Remnant has ever seen, but the dark truth was only known to those so high up in the chain of command.

He stepped away from the window and forced himself to stop staring at his old home from once upon a time. Turning back around he saw Emerald waiting for him, and to his side, he saw Neo making sure that the bodies of the dead pilots were wrapped up and secured for disposal.

"How are you going to rid of those poor bastards?" He asked as he crossed his arms.

"Neo will take care of that," Emerald said as she nodded toward her Beacon partner. Neo nodded back and in a flash her and the bodies were gone. That answered that question plain and simple. "I'm afraid you are on your own for the most part after this, I am going to have to destroy the Bullhead here to get rid of any evidence which is going to double as a distraction for you to go out and find somewhere to hold up until the dance comes around."

"Okay, two questions for that." Marcus cleared his throat. "One, how big of a distraction can I expect?"

Emerald pulled her scroll out and typed in a few commands on an app that Marcus has never seen before.

"_Self-destruct countdown initiated. Detonation in t-minus two minutes."_

Marcus sighed through his nose.

"And two?" Emerald asked with a smug smirk.

"I was going to ask if you were going to be an idiot and blow up the Bullhead," Marcus said. "But you answered two questions with one action. So I guess I'll ask if you got a date to the dance yet?"

"The only reason I am in Beacon right now is because of what _you _did to me," Emerald sassily pointed out. "So no, I will not have a dance. Now go before I make this thing blow up now so I don't have to live longer to be in your presence."

"You really know how to flatter me," Marcus said as he crouched down and looked back out the window. It was the afternoon approximately, and the sun began to set. Soon enough, the red autumn sky will turn dark blue, giving him more cover for him to find a secluded spot in Beacon. He wanted to say that this was a stupid idea given the fact that there was absolutely no way that Beacon didn't have cameras or any way to survey the area, especially the one area where all the Bullheads land, but there was no time for that. Emerald wouldn't do this without a reason, and as much as he didn't want to, he was going to have to trust that Cinder and whoever this associate of hers that made this virus in Marcus' pocket had a contingency for something like this.

Using that as an excuse, he bolted out of the Bullhead at the speed of a bullet and sprinted while keeping a low profile. There weren't many places that Beacon didn't have surveyed, but there was some that he remembered during his time here. It was actually good he had the nightmares that he did these past couple of weeks, because if he didn't he might not have remembered the little secret that Raven and he had while they were having their tiebreaker fights.

There was a certain part of Beacon that very little people went to. While most would think the cliffs would be a decent spot to hide an intense no holds barred sparring match, there was somewhere the Raven took the time to search for herself. Somewhere _beneath _the cliffs.

It was a bit of a hike to get there, and he already heard the Bullhead burst into flames and explode behind him, but that was his best bet in finding a spot to hold out in until the student dance came around. If he was lucky, the little secret remained a secret, if not… then he'd have a nice long fight on his hands.

* * *

Blake scratched at her ear impatiently as her thoughts continued to haunt her mind. All she ever thought about ever since the night of the docks was that man, Marcus Black, and everything he has done to her team and many others. Never before has she seen a man so lethal, she doubted that even Adam could stand up against him for long. He was clearly on another level.

And it was all her fault that her team and Sun ended up the way they were right now.

She couldn't see her team after what happened, not and be forced to face what she's caused. Ruby lost her semblance and was depressed, Yang had a concussion so bad that she could barely speak, and Weiss lost her weapon and was injured as well. Somehow, she came out the least hurt out of it all. Simply exhaustion and some minor wounds were all the punishment that she got that night. She couldn't even help as Sun got shot and she was forced to watch as that man took Ruby's semblance right in front of her. The image was burned into her mind, Ruby's crimson red aura flashing and turning into a pale sickly peach color as her semblance was taken away. And the screaming…

She almost couldn't go see Sun-like she was now. After the explosion at the air pads which was deemed a White Fang terrorist attack by that Emerald girl that Ruby became friends with a few weeks ago, she managed to build up her resolve and go see the boy that risked his life to save hers.

The infirmary was easy to navigate, as it was the intent of the design, and after asking the first nurse she saw where Sun was she was given a temporary visitor pass and was lead to his room. When she walked in, she could see Sun's face light up with joy at the sight of her.

"Blake!" He exclaimed and waved at her. She tried to smile as she waved back. "Just in time, I was just coming in for a routine checkup."

"And you seem to be recovering nicely." The nurse who was making sure his bullet wound was healing properly said. It wasn't hard to locate the point of entry since Sun didn't wear a shirt most of the time, and the scar was very obvious to the naked eye. "Give it another two to three days and I'll give you the okay to start training with your team again, given that you promise not to go too hard on yourself." He instructed.

"Of course!" Sun laughed. "If you ever see me back in here, it'll be too soon."

"Sun…" Blake called to him with glassy eyes.

The nurse noticed. "I shall leave you two alone to your privacy. Mister Sun, you shall be informed on your next checkup soon."

"Yeah, sure," Sun said with a soft smile as the nurse stood up, nodded toward his patient and Blake, then walked out. Shutting the door softly behind him as he did so.

"So," Sun flicked his eyes up to above her head. "You're not wearing the bow anymore?"

"Everyone I care about already knows what I am," Blake said as she sat down on the edge of his hospital bed. "So there's no point in hiding it anymore, everyone would have seen me on the news anyway."

"Nice," Sun smiled. "So how have you been? I was wondering when you were going to come see me by the way."

"I've been…" Blake sighed harshly. "I've been terrible, honestly. All of this is my fault."

Sun frowned sadly. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself-"

"It's true Sun!" Blake cut him off. "I ran away because I was scared that my team and friends would judge me for once being a part of the White Fang and because I'm a faunus. I ran away and look what happened!" She gestured toward Sun's bullet wound. "You got shot, and my team is in shambles. All because I ran away from my problems like I always do."

"I made the choice to block the bullet for you," Sun stopped her. "I made the choice to follow you, the only reason I did it because I saw you crying and alone. I couldn't exactly leave you like that, and I couldn't leave you to attack the White Fang all on your own. You would have died if you fought that monster all on your own."

"I'd rather that then things be like this…" Blake choked back tears. "I'm so sorry Sun… I didn't mean for things to end up like this."

"Hey," Sun reached and placed a hand on her shoulder. His smile was contagious. "Don't be, I'd take a bullet for you a thousand times if it meant that you got to live."

Blake felt just the slightest bit better. "Thank you, Sun."

"Yup!" Sun smirked and took his hand away. "Have you gone to see your teammates yet? I heard that Ruby and Weiss have been looking for you."

And just like that, Blake no longer felt slightly better. She looked away from the blonde faunus and clammed up immediately. "No…" She replied in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Why not?" Sun asked stupidly.

"I can't," Blake hissed. "Not yet, I want to. But I can't right now, I can't face them and see everything that happened to them. I'd… I'd break down and wouldn't know what to say…"

"I think they'd build you back up," Sun tried and kept that soft smile on his face as always. "They don't seem like the unforgiving type, I mean, they went through all that to save you. If they hated you, they wouldn't have even bothered to leave their rooms after they found out you were a faunus if they really didn't care. You've got better friends than you think."

"I know," Blake smiled sadly. "Believe me Sun, I would want nothing more than to go back to them and make it up to them, but after what happened, I don't deserve their forgiveness yet. I have to do something in return."

"Blake," Sun felt worried all of a sudden. "I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking…"

"Someone has to stop him, Sun."

"Yeah?" Sun narrowed his eyes with anger. "And how did that go last time? That guy picked us all apart by himself. Huntsman has gone after him and died. What makes you think _you _can do anything about him?"

"I know some ways…"

"You're going to get yourself killed," Sun said, standing up and moving in front of her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Blake, tell me you're smart enough to not actually go through with this, tell me you're not going to do this and this is all bravado. If you don't, I am going straight to Ozpin for this."

Blake's eyes went wide with fury. "Don't be ridiculous," She said with obvious irritation. "All I said was that he needed to be stopped, never did I say that I was going to be the one to do it."

Sun visibly let out a sigh of relief at hearing those words. "Whew, okay. That makes me feel a little better." He took his hands away from her shoulders and smiled.

"Idiot," Blake said playfully as she looked away with a small smirk on her face. Sun didn't see or notice, but her hands were still balled into fists nervously.

"Well, since that is out of the way now, let's swap to a much more light-hearted topic of conversation."

"Such as?"

"Are you going to go to the upcoming dance that's coming up pretty soon?"

"The… dance?" Blake hasn't even thought about the dance, she honestly forgot that there was going to be one in the first place. Now that she thought about it, she knew that Team CFVY was supposed to set everything up, but once they had to go on a sudden training mission, _her _team was supposed to help set it up. But given that they were all currently indisposed and unable to focus on such a thing, Team JNPR were the ones that had to set everything up now. Yet another thing for her to feel guilty about, in their current conditions, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang may not even be able to attend the dance. At best Ruby and Weiss could, but she saw what happened to Yang after Marcus slammed her face into the container until her aura was out. It was not a pretty sight to behold, it was gruesome. "I'm not going to any stupid dance." She said harshly with a huff as she stood up.

Sun looked subtly hurt, which is something she expected. He was too easy to read and she knew that he had a silly childish crush on her from the moment they met. She really couldn't bring herself to care at the moment.

"O-okay," At least Sun knew where his boundaries ended. "Well, if you somehow change your mind, I'll be happy to be the one to hold your hand on the way in there."

"Noted," Blake said, far from flustered as she made her way to the exit to the room. She's doing what she went there to do, and now she had other things on her mental list to tick off next.

Sun wanted to try and stop her as she left his room, but he knew better than to chase her when she was in a mood like this. Despite only knowing her for a relatively short amount of time he was able to tell just how on edge she was. He honestly didn't know if she was telling the truth most of the time throughout their conversation. He wanted to believe her, he really did. But he knew what he'd do if it was his team that was torn apart after what happened at the docks. He'd do the same thing she was implicating before.

Sighing, he let her leave and sat back down on the bed, he wasn't a patient at Beacon's infirmary still, but he felt it would be awkward if he walked out and ended up walking in the same direction as Blake left in.

"Man… this is nothing how I thought my time at Beacon would play out…"

* * *

Qrow finished downing another flask-full of alcohol as soon as the whole mess with the Bullhead fire was over and done with. Of course, it had to be that girl that Marcus beat the shit out of and captured a few weeks ago that found it too. From what the very little amount of footage they were able to capture, she just got off of the ship a minute before the explosion went off. The pilots were missing of course, but given the fact that they were both faunus gave everyone the excuse to blame it all on the White Fang. There was a lot you could blame on those idiots, but there had to be something more to it that the students and clean up crew weren't able to find.

Winter was set upon that task the moment he brought it up to dear old Jimmy Ironwood. He could have suggested for his pal Seth to take a crack at it himself, but if Winter wanted to make more work for herself than more power to her.

In the meantime, he trained. Stuffing his flask into his shirt pocket and after sending Ruby back to her dorm, he trained harder than he has in years. He had to get back in as good a shape as he was in his prime, which proved difficult since he had very little time as it was and he was pretty far into his years. As much as he wanted to hold confidence within himself that he could beat Marcus in a one on one battle, he wasn't entirely sure he could. Back then in Beacon, he had a decent enough chance. Now though…

He had to get faster, stronger, and abuse the mechanics of aura as much as he could. A little trick that huntresses and huntsman could use was shutting off their aura to train, and then turning it back on to recover. Of course, that was much easier said than done, since one couldn't really simply _shut off _a passive instinctual defense system. By the time he would be done training his muscles would feel like they've been torn to pieces, and he would activate his aura and recover within the hour. Literally forcing his muscles to become more dense, flexible, and stronger.

It was a risky technique that could easily go very wrong, but it was something that needed to be done.

He was the one who had to bring that man in, for everything he's done. For Summer, for Tai, for Ruby and Yang, for himself. Even for his estranged sister Raven. Marcus has hurt every single one of them in more ways than one, and he had to face his many crimes before he would be allowed to die. Qrow swore that whatever Marcus was planning or doing, he would be the one to put an end to it.

Whatever Summer thought about him, she was wrong, and she paid the ultimate price for it. He wouldn't make the same mistake.

* * *

**And there is the chapter. Sorry for the wait, but I will be back at it now! See you all next week!**

**P.S. Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it. **

**T wi tter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	16. Chapter 16

**Here we are again, boys and girls. This story has taken a lot of thought in order for me to create the next few chapters, but the plans have been made and some shit is going to go down pretty soon. This is going to be a slightly shorter one, but I promise you that it is going to be very worth it for the next chapter. You guys are probably going to hate it, love it, and be shocked all at the same time. It's a bit of a risk but… this entire story is a risk in itself Lol.**

**Also, one more thing, I've noticed that I've sorta been writing a whole lot of flashbacks in this story. Usually, I don't really do that and only do when I want to explain a character's past. In this case, flashbacks are very important to this story as you imagine. Apart of me thinks that I can make an entire Team STRQ story with Marcus and his team being in there as well so there can be a full explanation on how exactly Marcus became the assassin that he is now. As I said before this story is a special case, but that doesn't mean I can take the easy road and write flashbacks every time I want to explain something that happened in Marcus' past. So, if you don't want to be spoiled scroll down to the story right now, there is going to be one more flashback scene this chapter, and I am going to TRY and cut down on them until at least a certain moment later in this volume or until volume 3. Sorry if it's bothered you at all.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 16**

* * *

_Time was running out, and so was hers..._

Weiss and Yang were finally admitted to leave the infirmary finally just before the dance, which was great in Yang's eyes, and unfortunate for Ruby because now she knew that Yang was going to somehow make her go to the dance despite her protests that no, she is not a dancer, and no, she does not like any boys. _Or girls _for that matter. She wondered why she ever missed Yang's teasing and puns now that she was able to stay conscious for more than a few minutes at a time. She still had a rough concussion that would have put any other person out of commission for many months, but luckily and thankfully she had a large and powerful aura.

Weiss was another story, albeit not a bad one. The bone in her arm was healing very well and thanks to her aura she will be okay to start training again, albeit with Winter's spare saber. However, she had the misfortune of finally seeing for herself just how rude and awful of a man Jacques Schnee really was when he had Winter, Weiss' older sister, come deliver a scroll call to her personally since Weiss was ignoring his calls and messages. The conversation that she overheard was entirely unpleasant, and she could tell that Winter felt the same way and even some guilt as she was forced to put her sister though that. Unfortunately, it seemed Ironwood's hand was forced and he couldn't keep the man's daughter out of his reach for long enough.

He insulted her for losing how badly she did like it was _her _fault that Marcus Black and that colorful girl being as dangerous as they were. Insulted her for losing the weapon that he had apparently helped provide some time ago. It was all so very infuriating and Ruby never felt so angry in her life. That wasn't how fathers were supposed to treat their daughters! Fathers were supposed to be like Taiyang, who rushed all the way down to Beacon from Patch _on foot _and by car in order to see her and Yang and even went as far as to roll Yang around in the wheelchair that the school was kind enough to provide for her. Much to her dismay of course, but he wasn't going to let anyone else have the pleasure of rolling his daughter around while he was there. According to him, he was also there to make sure to punish his daughters for scaring him as much as they had for getting hurt. A very far cry from how Jacque Schnee was, and Ruby found herself all the more thankful that Taiyang was a constant presence in their lives.

"Aren't you missing out on work to come see us?" Yang askes as Tai rolled her into their dorm. Upon sight of their room, he widened his eyes and chuckled upon seeing the haphazardly built bunk beds. Yang and Ruby always begged him for those when they were little.

"Don't worry about it," Tai said as he fisted Yang's hair, making her groan and try to push him away. Keyword being try. She was in no position to be able to overpower her father in her current situation. "Ozpin was kind enough to register me as a temporary teacher at Beacon until I leave, and headmaster Albedo back at Signal was more than happy to give me some paid time off at the same time."

"Does he know that you're here getting paid as a Beacon teacher now?" Weiss was sassy enough to ask.

"Well…" Ruby giggled when her father winked and put a finger up to his lips. To his credit, he was even able to get Weiss to laugh at his little joke. He always had that effect on young women around him, after going to Beacon and being on a team with two women who would end up mothering one of his daughters each, and then raising those two daughters almost completely by himself, he's grown quite the ability to be able to make them laugh and-or happy all the time. Even the Ice Queen known as Weiss Schnee.

"Anyway," Tai finally deflected the question as he looked around their dorm room again. "I see three girls and four beds, where's the final member of the team that my youngest daughter has for some reason been chosen to lead."

"Blake…" Ruby would have laughed at the jab if it were any other situation. But Blake was still being Blake and avoiding them whenever she could. It wasn't like she was mad at them, the small amount of times Ruby was able to make contact with her. Blake's eyes were always filled with a certain amount of grief and guilt, making it clear to Ruby that she still very much blamed herself for what happened at the docks. "Blake is busy at the moment, hanging around with some boy that she met a few weeks ago… Hehe." She laughed nervously as she told the white lie.

Tai, knowing his daughter more than anyone else, was able to tell right away. But he knew what the reason for it was, and wasn't going to be angry or disappointed with her. "I see," He said, feigning understanding as he helped Yang stand up from her wheelchair.

"I don't need _that _much help." Yang protested despite bodily leaning into her fathers hold for support.

"Well suck it up because you're gonna get it anyway," Tai replied as he lifted his daughter by the sides effortlessly up to the bunk he knew was hers because of the yellow blankets. Yellow was always her favorite color because of how golden her hair was. "Tell me whatever you girls need because I came here to see you two and get to know your teammates." He nodded toward Weiss, who nodded back. "I'll be staying in the free staff room that Ozpin has stocked around here for situations like these. Thankfully I'll be the only one using it for now."

"Your presence here is appreciated, Mister Xiao Long," Weiss said, genuinely meaning it. "It is a pleasure meeting you."

"Of course," Tai smiled as he happily shook the young girl's hand. "Pleasure's mine meeting the girl who has to be the glue keeping this team together."

"Daaad!" Ruby whined.

"Well," Weiss smirked, very much enjoying that compliment. "That is certainly one way to put it…"

"Yes. It is." Tai's smile slowly faded down into a frown. "As much as I'd like to continue introductions, however, I have to ask." He sighed and shook his head as his mind strayed deeper into darker thoughts. "I want to know what happened that night, Ozpin told me as much as he could, but I want to hear it from you three personally."

Ruby and Yang swallowed nervously and nodded. From Qrow, they learned that the man who caused all of this used to be a huntsman as well, and he was apparently quite close to him and their father once upon a time. There was even the mystery of their mother's death being brought up again because of that man, which was most likely making it all the more difficult for their father given how close he was to Summer Rose.

"So," Tai pushed gently, urging the girls to begin telling him their side of the story. "Let's start with who did this to you. Start whenever you're ready."

After some hesitation, Weiss was the one to begin.

"The man who initiated the attack was one such Marcus Black." Weiss began. Tai's eyes shut and a sigh escaped from his nostrils. An apparent confirmation processing through his mind, though he was still being very attentive. "We were looking for our teammate, Blake, who hid the fact that she was faunus and used to be a member of the White Fang. When we found out, she ran away into Vale. We searched for her, and eventually found her right as she was about to be killed by that man."

"We couldn't stand by and do nothing," Ruby piped up. "She's our teammate and before we knew it we were up against him all by ourselves. We thought that we'd be enough, the three of us all up against a single guy. But then some girl with different colored eyes suddenly appeared and stole Weiss away to fight her one on one."

"From there, we really didn't stand a chance." Yang sighed, balling her hands into fists as their story continued. "We had someone else helping us, some girl named Penny that Ruby made friends with, but even that wasn't enough. Before we knew it, he knocked me over and was beating Ruby down into the ground. When I got back up I…" Yang huffed and crossed her arms, the memory was clearly still very painful for her to think about. Taiyang waited patiently for her to recover and go at her own pace. "I attacked him with my semblance, and like a _fucking idiot, _I missed and got my arm stuck in a storage container. After that, he grabbed me by the hair and _smashed _my face into the side of the container more times than I can count." She felt her bandaged nose as she remembered the pain, and then the many cuts and bruises that she still had all over her face. "I don't remember anything else after that, I was out like a light and the next thing I knew I was back at Beacon."

"I lost terribly against that girl," Weiss continued for her, all but eager to take the attention off of the clear. "She was too fast and surprisingly strong. I was disarmed quickly and she beat me while I was down. I was at her complete mercy and couldn't hope to even defend myself. I was knocked unconscious before Yang was. I didn't stand a chance against her on my own."

"Hm," Taiyang's anger was boiling underneath his skin, of course, it was not directed at them but at the ones who did this to them. But despite all that, he hadn't even heard the worst of it. When Ruby's voice piped up again in a pathetic squeak, she immediately had his full attention.

"A-after we were all beaten," Ruby shook and held herself as she remembered that night as clear as day. The trauma was obvious to all those around her. "He picked me up and used me as a shield so that Blake wouldn't shoot. They said some things but I wasn't able to hear what they were saying. I was too busy trying to reach the ground with my feet. But then… then…" A tear trickled down her cheek as she remembered the very specific kind of pain. "He… touched me and… I couldn't feel it anymore. I still can't now… my semblance… he locked it away somehow." She choked back a sob. "Then after that, he threw me away like I was trash, he could have killed us all if it weren't for Qrow and his friends coming to save us just in time."

"I really wanted to believe that it wasn't true," Tai choked out as he rubbed at one of his eyes. "I wanted to believe that my girls and their team didn't actually go through this. To think that you would go through this so early on in your careers… it breaks my heart. Ruby, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." He reached over and scooped her up in his arms, hugging her tightly to his chest as she sobbed. "I'm so sorry he did that to you…"

"Not your fault…" Ruby's muffled voice said into his chest. "I'm just so glad you're here…"

"That's not all that happened," Yang said before Tai could reply.

"What do you mean?" The blonde man asked.

Ruby whined in his chest as she thought of the same thing Yang was.

"Before we started fighting… Ruby tried to coerce Marcus to become a good guy again. For a second, I actually thought it was working too. He walked up to us, he had this weird conflicted look to his face, but then he drops this line. "_You sound just like your mother."_ Yang shook her head with anger. "I'll never forget that now. So now Ruby and I have a suspicion, and since Qrow won't tell us, I'm going to ask you."

"Did Marcus Black kill our mom?"

Tai hummed darkly as he thought about his answer. Then let go of Ruby and guided her back to her seat as he sat down in front of them. One look toward Weiss had her understanding of the situation immediately, and she left the room without anyone even trying to stop her to give them all the privacy that they suddenly very much needed. They all sat together in tense silence as Tai thought to himself, his face indescribable from the outside. Despite being as depressed as she was now, Ruby lifted her face and was at full attention as well. While Yang, sitting above her, was more attentive then she has ever seen as well.

"For a long time, I believed that he did." Tai finally said. "I never told either of you this, but Ruby might remember." Ruby perked up at the mention of her name. "But he was the one who delivered her body to me after Summer died. I hated him for a very long time for it, and a part of me still does now. But…" He sighed heavily, his barely restrained anger hardly being kept under control as he took in deep breaths in an attempt to try and calm himself down.

"Let me tell you about the day he returned her body to me personally."

/-/

_Taiyang Xiao Long sat in the comfortable couch in his house in Patch as his young daughter of three years old laid down beside him with her head in his lap. Young Ruby Rose, such an adorable girl and the result of Summer Rose blessing him enough with a marriage while he was in a dark time once his former wife, Raven, up and abandoned them. The movie that he promised to watch with his daughter wasn't even halfway over by the time Ruby fell asleep, sometimes he wondered why she even bothered to watch movies since she always falls asleep before they finish. Then she goes and whines about it the following morning. _

_After laughing at the thought, he wondered when Summer was going to get back. She sent herself off on a mission that she hardly told anyone about, and not even Ozpin knew what she was doing. He trusted her though, whatever she wanted to do, he knew that she would do it. That was just the kind of woman that she was, and never was one to take no for an answer. Ironically enough, despite being the 'man' of the house, he ended up being the one staying behind to take care of the kids while the mother went out and made money for them. He wondered if he should count himself lucky or be ashamed of that, but no one would blame him for thinking the former. If anyone met Summer, they would know that she was absolutely not the kind of woman to stay at home taking care of her kids twenty-four-seven. Besides being a part of Ozpins inner circle, she was also a huntress. This was her dream, and she wasn't going to waste it sitting around in some house. _

"_Hm?" He perked up at the sound of a few tentative knocks on the front door. "That you Summer?" He called out as he gently shifted Ruby's head off of his lap and stood up. Honestly, Summer was back earlier than he'd expected. Usually, she was gone for at least a couple of weeks between each mission, and despite already being gone for a month he still expected her back at least another week later. _

"_It's me, Tai." A man's voice called back to him._

_Taiyang widened his eyes with shocked surprise as he heard the familiar voice of his wife's old best friend. He still remembered how sad Summer was when he first left, and even vowed to go out and bring him back one day. Little did he know a decade later she would go and do just that. He laughed, Summer really did not take no for an answer when it came to her friends. That explained the mission that she went on so suddenly, she must have found a lead and then pounced on it at the earliest opportunity. Heh, classic Summer._

"_Coming!" Tai said as he made his way toward the front door as quickly and quietly as he could, Ruby was still sleeping though he was sure that she'd be happy to wake up and see her mother again. She so very adored Summer after all. _

_He opened the door._

_His heart dropped, his smile faded away and tears started coming out of his eyes before he could even fully register what he saw before him. _

_Yes, Marcus Black has returned, but at a very difficult cost. Summer Rose, his wife, and lover of many years was being carried limply in his arms. Her white cloak was pulled up and covered most of her body. But her face was still and unmoving. Cold. The life was no longer in her. _

_In his shocked state, Marcus sighed and knelt down. Placing Summer's body gently on the porch and standing up right as Taiyang fell down to his knees and began to sob as he held Summer's head against his chest. _

_Not again, Taiyang thought. He'd already lost one wife, he couldn't lose another so soon. Yang couldn't lose another mother so soon. None of this was supposed to happen! She was the best of her entire generation!_

"_Why!?" He screamed through his sobs. "What happened!?"_

"_..." Marcus didn't respond. His black eyes simply stared into Tai's as he looked down at him. His white hair was just as white as Summer's cloak, and his face was blank, coldly blank. He either had nothing to say, or didn't want to say anything at all. _

"_You did this… how could you!?" Tai shouted at him. "She loved you! She thought of you as her best friend even after all this time. When everyone else gave up on you she continued to believe in you! So why!? Why did you kill her!? Tell me!?" He shot up to his feet and grabbed Marcus by the collar of his shirt. Marcus didn't fight back, and as much as Tai wanted to punch him and make him pay, he was far too emotional to do so. That didn't stop him, however. _

_He reeled back his arm and smashed his fist into Marcus' face. White aura flared against yellow and the man barely rolled his neck to the side because of the blow. Marcus took one step back and the next punch Tai through at him was caught and deflected. Before Tai knew it the back of his leg was kicked, knocking him down to one knee, and then his head was pushed hard to the side, knocking him over and on his side. _

"_I can't tell you what happened," Marcus said as his aura flared over his body. "You're lucky I even brought her all the way here from where she found me."_

"_You bastard…" Tai sobbed as he punched the porch floor, cracking and splintering the wood apart. _

"_Daddy?" _

_Marcus and Tai's heads both snapped to the young girl that appeared in the doorway suddenly, her black-red hair was messy and stuck up in places and she let out an adorable yawn. _

"_Why are you on the floor? And who is he?" She asked, pointing toward Marcus._

"_H-honey, get back in the house," Tai said as he pushed himself up to all fours and crawled over to block out Summer's body. _

"_So you're Ruby…" Marcus whispered to himself almost too silently for Taiyang to hear. "Hm…"_

_Tai stood and blocked Ruby behind him protectively and then turned around. When he did, Marcus was already leaving and disappearing into the night. Tai refrained from chasing after him in light of the desire to protect his daughter from the man. _

"_You're not getting away with this Marcus!" Taiyang screamed at him before he could get out of earshot. "Ozpin won't let it happen, and I won't either!"_

_Marcus stopped for a moment and turned his neck slightly to look over his shoulder and back at the man. He simply stared at him for a few moments, and if he said anything, Taiyang didn't hear it. He then turned around and walked away, disappearing into the darkness and leaving them all behind with Summer Rose's body at their doorstep. _

/-/

"To this day nobody knows what really happened between those two," Tai said as he wiped at his eyes once again. "I don't know if he killed her, I don't know if it was an accident, I don't even know if Marcus even cared for her death. We all assume that he was the one to kill her, and most likely we're right, but until we hear it from him we'll probably never know what really happened to your mother."

Ruby and Yang remained silent as they processed the entire story that was just told to them. Ruby hardly remembered that night, and had no idea that the strange man that she saw that night was the same man that took away her semblance and decimated her entire team. Yang didn't remember the man at all, after waking up because of Taiyangs screaming the only thing that she was able to process was the fact that her mother was dead. She remembered that the morning after and throughout the night, they dug her grave at her favorite cliff and buried her there. Tombstone marking her resting place.

"We';; have to catch him then," Yang said as she gripped the covers at her sides. "When we're all better, we'll train and hunt him down and capture him. Then we'll force the truth out of it."

"Do you think there's really nothing that we can do about him?" Ruby asked next, contrasting her sister by taking a different approach to the situation. "I need to talk to him, and I want to honor moms wishes. If she died trying to redeem her best friend, then I want to see if I can help that dream of hers become a reality."

"Ruby…" Tai chuckled bitterly. Classic Ruby taking after classic Summer. They really were mother and daughter, and she looked more like her every day she grew a little bit taller. "I don't know if he can be redeemed, but one thing is for sure. He owes us all some answers. I for one am going to reinstate myself as a huntsman here in order to take on some missions on the side while I work. I promise you girls, we are going to get the answers that we all need to hear." He looked to Ruby after nodding to them both. "And you are going to get your semblance back. Have you been training without it?"

"Qrow has been helping me," Ruby said with newfound resolve. "It's progressing…"

"Then we have no time to lose," Tai stood up and offered his hand to Ruby. "I may be old, but I am a teacher for a reason. C'mon, I'll put you through some exercises to get you more accustomed to getting by without your semblance. And you," He glared at Yang, who hopped down from the bunk. "Need to continue resting if you want any hopes of making your sister go to the upcoming dance. No buts."

"But-"

"No buts!"

Yang groaned as she climbed back up to her bed and lied down in it.

Transition

Marcus sat silently in a makeshift tent held up by a stick and a dark green tarp underneath Beacon's cliff. Luckily for him, it seemed that his and Raven's secret fighting spot was still a secret, or at least Ozpin was letting him think that way. He was ready for the case that Ozpin, Qrow, and the whole fucking army of Atlas to storm him and attack. Even though he probably wouldn't stand much of a chance against that many people at the same time, it would at least be a pretty decent fight.

It was boring, just sitting around and waiting for Cinder to let him know when to strike and attack the CCT in order to put insert whatever virus she had that Watts guy make for her. There was just nothing to do besides sit around and wait. Something about that probably should have been something Marcus should have been grateful for considering the sores and bruises he still had littered all over his body. But he was more concerned with the fact that there was nothing _in _his body instead. He was starving, and Neo was taking her sweet time coming back to him for an update _as usual_. He started to wonder if she was intending to starve him to death as he waited here. It's been days already and the only one to bring food to him was Emerald after he had to explain to her exactly where he was. Which sort of put a whole damper on the whole secret fighting spot Raven and he founded.

He found his answer in where Neo was when a set of heels were heard clicking down on the little ledge that Marcus found many years ago. His eyes found hers immediately and he looked a little too hungrily toward the paper bag of food that she had in her hand. She scoffed and tossed the food toward him, in which he caught with one hand and took out the sandwich that was inside the bag. It wasn't a delicacy and it was far from pleasurable eating it, but it was enough to give him a decent amount of relief as he felt the food slide down his throat and settle in his stomach.

"Now?" He asked through the food as he looked toward the multicolored girl.

Neo shook her head and held up one finger, signaling to him just one more day. He rolled his eyes and returned to sharpening his knife. It was already as sharp as it's going to get, but he kept doing it just to have something to do.

To his surprise, Neo walked over across from him and fell to the ground with one leg crossed over the other, sitting in front of him as a child in elementary school would when they were listening to something that actually interested them. He glanced up a few times as the seconds ticked by, and when Neo leaned forward to get a better look at his knife, he sighed explosively.

"Okay, what do you want?" He demanded as he stabbed the knife into the ground next to him.

Neo shrugged her shoulders in response.

Marcus narrowed his eyes, they may have been allies but that relationship was temporary at best. Neo knew who he was and what he was and were he was from, and she treated as such ever since they met again in Vale once he found Roman after many years had passed. He supposed that Roman and he got along well enough, considering that the master criminal somehow found all of his murderous past comedic for some reason. But one day he was going to die by his hand, and after that Neo was going to try to kill him in return. He didn't want nor need to get close to anyone anymore, he tried that life once and look where it got him. Sitting in a fucking secret cave he only remembered by chance waiting to infiltrate a shitty little tower to plant a computer virus.

Maybe the frustration was getting to him…

"Do you just not want to deal with Emerald and Cinder?" Marcus deduced eventually after about a minute passed by with no conversation between the two.

Neo held up a thumbs-up gesture and smirked at him as if he figured out some mystery.

"And you'd rather hang out with me than go bug Roman?" Marcus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Neo shrugged her shoulders again and made some gestures with her hands. Marcus understood it as '_Roman is too far and you're the second person I can tolerate the most.' _Perhaps he should be flattered because of that, perhaps he should be afraid instead. But no, he simply scoffed and smirked back at the mute. They weren't enemies and there wasn't anything personal between the two, but she must have made the mistake of not worrying about him stabbing her in the back. To be fair, he wasn't without any good real reason, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't. Although, Neo would certainly do the same in a heartbeat if Roman was in danger.

"Got a date to the dance?" Marcus asked as he decided to might as well talk to the girl. It was about three in the morning, so she probably had nothing better to do anyway.

Neo made a silent gagging gesture.

"Right, kids are probably a little young." Marcus snickered. "How many asked?"

Neo tilted her head back in thought, then eventually raised up five fingers.

"How many of them are still alive?" Marcus scoffed when Neo smirked impishly at him. Giving him just the amount of answers that he needed. "Yeah, I've had my fair share of dates to the dance," He said as he tilted his head back as he remembered Beacon, instead of forcing back the memories, he embraced them this time. Only because _she _wasn't all that involved in it all that much.

Neo raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms.

"Yes, I was young once too. Bitch." Neo giggled silently. "Yeah, it was definitely a trip some of them…" He remembered when Summer asked him to the dance as friends, and of course, everyone had the wrong idea about it thinking that they were going to start dating after that. They tried that once but thought it better to stay as friends. He remembered being able to boast that he would always be the first one she ever kissed.

Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about it. A man of his profession can't have that many emotions whirling around at the same time, it was just not professional. Funny thinking that, knowing that he has been letting those emotions affect him for a few weeks now already.

After some more casual conversation, which was mostly just Marcus talking to Neo while she replied with gestures. Neo yawned and leaned back against the wall of the cave. Apparently content to let herself fall asleep there. He might have thought that weird of her, but Emerald had to do it all the time, and if he was going to try and kill her, he would have done so already. Neo was unarmed and in grabbing distance after all. An environment like this would be entirely against the ex-assassin.

He felt something dark looming in the future, he didn't know what it was, but he felt like something was going wrong. Like Cinder had something planned up her sleeve and was going to act on it very soon. She was in Beacon, after all, soon after the Bullhead explosion she transferred into the school thanks to the traitor headmaster in Haven. So she was around. And if Neo could be trusted, then he'd be going out tomorrow.

If one thing went wrong, the entire school would be on his ass. So he prepared himself to get his hands dirty. No one could rat you out if everyone who spotted you was dead after all. Cinder was kind enough to inform him that the CCT was being guarded by Atlesian guards. Those idiots couldn't kill a Grimm without a whole squad, so they weren't going to be of any issue there. But if one camera spotted him, if he was too slow, if there wasn't enough coverage to hide his tracks and body as he snuck around. Qrow would be there, Ironwood would be there, Specialists, Ozpin, and every damn fighter in Beacon would be on his ass.

Luckily, he had a contingency plan to get himself out of dodge if he needs to. If all went well, it was an in and out mission with a few less Atlesian guards around. At worst, there's going to be a nice chase scene ripped right out of a movie.

It wasn't like they expect him to be in Beacon right under their nose anyway, so he had the element of surprise on his hand as well. Although that didn't mean this was going to be a free pass. It was why he sharpened his knife so much. Any aura was strong, but any aura could also be cut. In the case a student or worse, a teacher caught him. He would have the end them right there. He'd rather not, but, it was what he was trained to do.

The CCT virus plant was tomorrow, and with it, another step closer toward his freedom.

* * *

**And that is the chapter. Whew, wrote this one as quickly as I could before I have to go on a nice long ten-hour shift. Next chapter is the dance, so we're going to get to see how Marcus' little infiltration mission is going to pan out. Lucky us!**

**Spoiler alert: No one is going to die**

**Pfft, as if I'm going to be that merciful.**

**But for a legitimate warning, there is going to be a death next chapter. If you don't like it when certain characters die then… well… I'm sorry?**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	17. Chapter 17

**And here we are, sorry for the wait. I had some things to do and I barely had time to write this chapter but on the bright side I did get plenty of time to plan it. Work and Finals week does that, and I hate it. Sigh… if only I could just **_**not **_**need a job. In a perfect world maybe, and very ideal where nothing goes wrong but hey, that's life for ya. I'll just continue this and we can get on our way. On another bright side, this chapter is going to be pretty long as a way for me to make up for lost time.**

**And yeah… the warning from the last chapter remains the same.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 17**

* * *

The dance came and the dance started right after classes ended. From what she was able to hear, a team by the name of JNPR lead by some scraggly blonde kid were the ones who orchestrated and set up everything. It was supposed to be Team CFVY and then it was supposed to be Team RWBY when they were called out for a training mission, but after Marcus tore apart the team and left them all in the hospital for a few days another team had to be called up and fill the spot.

It was alright, Emerald supposed. She was one of the first ones to arrive thanks to Cinder's orders, and the woman herself was supposed to come around once the bulk of the student body started to arrive. Emerald was perched on the second floor, which had a balcony of sorts looking over the entire dance floor, band stage — and yes, there was a stage for a band that was supposed to be coming in to play a song themselves. Which was actually great for them, considering it was going to be a nice loud distraction for all the students and teachers and even some of the guards outside.

As the students started to come in bulk, Neo was amongst them in her Beacon disguise, her black hair put up in pigtails was very easy to spot, and the dress she chose to present herself in was nothing short of adorable for a girl in her twenties that looked like she was in her lower teens. She spotted her after a few moments and winked at her, tapping a finger against her temple to let her know that her earpiece was in fact in place and that she would hear anything that Emerald or Cinder had to tell her. Emerald nodded back and reported to Cinder that she arrived.

Cinder didn't reply, but she didn't need to. She knew that she heard her. There was an issue of finding a fourth teammate to form up an entire team but after Marcus declaring himself too recognizable and overall risky for him to fill that role, Cinder pulled some strings and made up a story that their fourth teammate died on a training mission long ago. It was a story that made people stop questioning them about the fourth member of their team almost immediately, and they wouldn't dare to try and call any of them out for lying after they put up fake looks of painful thoughts filling their minds.

The annoying ginger girl Nora was the one letting people in alongside the guy that she honestly thought was a girl at first sight. Once the other students started entering in bulk they both handled the entry themselves. The blonde idiot was running the punch bowl and keeping an eye on it to make sure no one was going to spike it or something, while also awkwardly trying to keep up some conversations with some of the single girls that came up for some drinks, and lastly, the champion herself Pyrrha Nikos was on stage speaking to the band themselves. They apparently were fans of her and were asking her loads of questions. So that kept her distracted until further notice, and her role tonight wouldn't be that important.

Minutes passed up to ten, and most of the students arrived with only some stragglers and last-minute deciders coming in right before the entry point would be closed off. But that wasn't what Emerald was in charge of keeping an eye on, she was supposed to be watching for any key figures that could pose a danger to the entire operation if they didn't have someone watching them. Eventually, she found them as Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon walked in with a slightly more pampered up dark green suit on. Beside him was Glynda Goodwitch in a long purple dress that covered just about everything but her arms, and after some tense moments later General Ironwood arrived, then Winter Schnee, then Qrow and Yang's father who came to visit her after hearing that her and her whole team were nearly killed off by an old friend of his.

"The headmasters and their circle are here," Emerald reported immediately to Cinder.

"_Good," _Cinder replied at once. Emerald kept an eye at the entrance and was happy to see that one of the last to enter was Cinder herself. Fashionably late, not part of the plan at first, but a necessary sacrifice in the grand scheme of things. She wore an all-black dress that had the long skirt cut on one side to reveal her long smooth silky legs. As beautiful as ever, Emerald thought. None of the girls around her even compared to her beauty. "_Are the other concerning members here?" _

Emerald snapped herself out of her stupor and pushed a finger up to her ear. "Yes," She replied as she spotted Ruby and her two other teammates. "Ruby, the heiress, and the blonde bimbo are all present. But their faunus teammate isn't, the ex-White Fang member."

"_No matter, she will not be a problem this night and if she is she will be handled." _Cinder replied as she started making her way to the dance floor. The blonde guy saw her coming and immediately began to gawk, Cinder smirked back but she had no real interest in him. That kid, John or whatever, was apparently a good friend of the leader of Team RWBY, which meant that he probably knew what was going on with their missing fourth teammate. "_Stick to your assigned roles ladies. If all goes well, we will all go home happily…"_

Emerald preened and immediately locked eyes onto the headmaster and the people around him. He spoke to some students as he walked around, and Qrow, the man who prevented the previous Fall Maiden from truly dying kept trying to offer Winter Schnee a dance, who kept on rejecting him over and over until eventually she was pushed to accept by the General, who unexpectedly found their relationship amusing. With the two of them stealing the dance floor, all that left was Taiyang, Professor Goodwitch, and the three present members of Team RWBY all in relative proximity to one another. Yang was in a wheelchair still, but she was dressed up in a frilly white dress anyway. Beside her was her sister, who spoke to some other ginger girl that was being flanked by two Atlesian guards for whatever reason, and the heiress to the SDC was sitting in a chair beside them. She still wore her cast on her injured arm, and from the corner of her eye, she could see Neo staring right at her with a certain hunger that a predator would have for an injured prey.

Neo then turned to Emerald and stared into her eyes, and despite being so far away Emerald knew that she was demanding her attention. Neo reached up and tapped the microphone in her ear three times. She heard three beeps, and that alarmed Cinder and her to know that it was time.

As that happened, Cinder made her excuses and got away from the blonde kid and made a show that she was looking down at her scroll. As she did so, she spoke to them. "_It seems like the B of Team RWBY will not be present tonight. I will call Marcus and let him know it's time, as soon as he is out. Find a partner and dance with them." _She ordered.

Emerald sighed dramatically and accepted her order without pause and saw Neo roll her eyes from across the ballroom. Whatever, she could stand to deal with some idiot for a few minutes, and hopefully it would be just that.

"_On my way…" _Marcus' voice rang out through her ear, sending a chill down her spine at the sound of her voice.

The night has only just begun.

* * *

Marcus climbed up to the roof beside the CCT and across from the ballroom to his left easily. The brick wall looked impossible to climb, but after an aura enhanced jump and some scrambling he made it up silently. There were no guards on the roof, which was mistake number one for Ironwood and Ozpin. Marcus kept to the dark and dashed across the roof. His white hair flowing with the wind as it blew against him. He looked around as he came to a window and looked left and right, making sure that no one saw him. He did have to hide a body or two that got in his way, but speed was of the utmost importance here.

After double-checking the immediate area, he nodded and cracked open a window after using a little trick of his to unlock the window from the outside. He peered into it, counting at least a dozen guards and a few cameras. He let out a sigh through his nose, it was dark in there but the Atlesian guards had to have some kind of night vision, and while he knew he could very easily take them all out, he didn't know if he could do all of it quietly. Even then, he tapped the radio on his ear and reported in.

"A dozen guards, a few cameras, I could go in loud and fast, or take it easy and go around to be more incognito."

"_Stay hidden for now, we wouldn't want you to be caught so soon." _Cinder replied quickly.

Nodding his head and accepting her judgment, he shut the window and slid down the darker side of the roof and jumped down onto the grass. The dirt muffled the sound of his landing, and he crouch walked silently and kept to the dark as he made his way around the building in search of any kind of entranceway. The vents would be much too loud and get him caught very easily, this wasn't like the movies. The windows might be a good way to get in, but could be loud and draw attention. A dozen ways of getting into this massive building the lead into the CCT tower, but ironically as he snuck around, the easiest way to get in was through the front door.

Making his decision, he stepped out from behind his cover and stepped into the wide empty courtyard that lies in front of the huge building. They only had one guard patrolling the outside. _One. _It was like they _wanted _the CCT to get hacked and for some virus to get planted in their systems. That or this guy really got unlucky and stepped out to take a piss or something.

The guard didn't notice him until a red and white streak sped off to the side. He readied his weapon and looked around suspiciously. His yellow and silvery metal armour clanking around as he took a few cautious steps backward.

He reached his hand to radio in and report, but a knife found its way into his neck instead. Silencing and killing him immediately.

"Sorry, nothing personal," Marcus said as he threw the bleeding guard into a nearby push and then kicked his weapon into it right after. The poor guy was dead before he even hit the ground.

Flicking his bloody knife to the side to clean it of the blood, Marcus cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders as he got ready for what was going to come next. He could hear the music from the ballroom all the way here, and the CCT building was _far _from the ballroom. Not incredibly far, but if he could hear the music from all the way over here, then the people at the dance wouldn't be able to hear anything from him.

"And now for you…" Marcus said as he pressed a button on his scroll, an app that was available to assassins like him popped up, and he pressed down again on another function, sending out an electromagnetic pulse and rendering all nearby cameras and radios offline for the next twenty minutes. He could have used it earlier, but the music wasn't as loud as it was now and he might have been too loud. Now was the best time, and he had more than enough of it to do what he needed to do.

Smirking cockily, he stuffed the scroll back into his pocket and drew out his gun in his left hand. He walked into the building casually, keeping a calm persona on display for the few guards that would spot him in just a few seconds. With the cameras and radios off, the music loud, and plenty of distance between him and the ones who could actually stop him, there was no need to take this slowly anymore.

"Hey, you!" One of the guards spotted him as he calmly walked into the building, smirking and armed. "No one is allowed in this area at the-"

The man choked on his words as he realized who was walking in.

"Yeah," Marcus aimed his gun at the dozen dead men who all formed a half-circle around him. "I know."

It wasn't as much of a fight as it was a slaughter, bodies littered the floor and blood splatters were all over the place. They didn't even manage to scratch him as he danced around their bullets and destroyed those foolish enough to try and take him on in close combat. Now they were all dead from slashed necks, stabbed hearts, gunshot wounds to the most vital areas, and from plain idiocy. Their best bet was to run, but they thought in this case that quantity would beat over quality. Idiots.

He pressed the button to the elevator to save himself some time, but was pleasantly surprised when the elevator was already on its way down. He heard two men having a conversation on the other side of the doors and chuckled as he aimed his gun at the doors. Their last thoughts before they found themselves with bullet holes pierced through their skulls was about the wifi password to Beacon. Somehow, that was hilarious to him as he stepped into the blood elevator and pushed the button that went all the way up to the control room.

"And that's the hardest part out of the way," Marcus said as he holstered his weapons and began to wait. The elevator ride up to the top would take a few minutes, so he had some time to practice his whistle singing.

But first. "On my way up now," He said into the radio in his ear, which he specifically designed himself to not be affected by any sort of EMP. "At this point, it shouldn't take any more than ten minutes."

"_Good," _Cinder said immediately, she was clearly pleased. "_You continue to please me."_

Yeah, he'll pretend that's what he wanted.

* * *

"Hey there, what's a cutie like you doing sitting here all on your own?"

Emerald did her best to ignore the foolish boy beside her, she had a duty to keep an eye on and it wasn't time for her to take a dancing partner just yet. Not that it would stop the racist that was Cardin Winchester from constantly trying to woo her despite her constant signals for him to get the _fuck _away from her. Seriously, if this was how his bloodline was able to get this far, then it would soon die out.

"Awe, come on." He pushed his shoulder up against hers and she refrained from stabbing him for it. "Don't give me the silent treatment, you must be lonely coming to the dance all on your own. Looks like even your team won't give you attention, but I'd be _happy _to fill that role for you."

"The only role you're filling is being an obnoxious idiot." Emerald hissed as she pushed him away hard with one hand and kept her eyes firmly locked on the adults. "I didn't come here for the attention of boys."

"Oh really," If Cardin was upset by being pushed, he didn't show it. If anything, the weirdo must have thought it was some kind of sign for him to keep trying. That or he liked being pushed around by girls, which just lowered her opinion of him even more if that was the case. "You say that but I can see that you're just playing hard to get."

No, she really wasn't. In fact, she wasn't interested in boys at all. Or girls. She wasn't interested in any kind of relationship that didn't involve Cinder and what she wanted her to do. As much as she would have liked to slap this idiot around for assuming otherwise, she had to make sure she kept an eye on the girls and the adults just as Cinder told her to.

"Go away." She said instead without even looking at the boy.

"Your names Emerald right?" Cardin ignored her of course. "I'm Cardin, I saw you kick some ass in Good-Bitches class. What school did you go to before coming here?"

"..." Emerald narrowed her eyes as the metaphorical steam started seeping out of her ears.

"You know, I _am _trying to be nice about this…" Cardin said as he inched his way closer to her. "But now I'm thinking about taking a different approach."

His hand wrapped around her waist and lowered further. Finally, Emeralds eyes widened with rage and she _slapped _him across the face and knocked him to the ground. "Don't touch me!" She shouted at him. "And get the _fuck _away from me! Take a hint you fucking weirdo." She huffed and stomped away from him, leaving the humiliated boy to get stared at by bystanders and made fun of for doing what he did. He finally left her alone though, and after finding a new spot, she locked onto the adults again.

Only someone was missing.

"Oh no…" Emerald felt her heart drop as she failed to spot Ruby among the crowd. The girl is short as well, she wasn't able to pick her out from the rainbow of hair colors down there on the dance floor.

"_What's the problem, Emerald?" _Hearing Cinder's voice made her whimper. "_I heard you shout_."

"Some horny idiot tried to touch me, distracted me," Emerald said scornfully. "I can't find Ruby, I don't know if she left or not."

"_Neo, find her and bring her back." _Cinder said immediately. The girl beeped her radio once and was on it. "_And Emerald… be more careful." _

"Yes, mam…" Emerald whined and nodded her head. Returning her focus back onto the headmaster and the other adults around him.

* * *

Ruby knew she saw something, _someone _even, dash across the rooftops. It was only a flicker, but there was just something off about it that she couldn't put her finger on it. It made her anxious, and despite not having her speed anymore, she was still a huntress. So that meant it was her job to go and investigate. She had to make her excuses to her dad, Yang, and Weiss, saying that she had to go to the bathroom. But she didn't know if she would be back in time. Hopefully, after checking the area where she saw that figure, she would find out that nothing was really wrong and could get back to the dance and stand around with her friends like she planned to do the whole night.

Stupid heels though. Stupid! She hated Yang and Taiyang for making her put them on for this stupid event.

"Sorry… Excuse me… Coming through…" She weaved her way and gave her excuses to the people she had to push through in order to get to one of the exits. Her mind was on to something, she just knew it was. She didn't want to bother her uncle and dad about it because tonight was supposed to be a relaxing night with some fun sprinkled into it, and her uncle finally seemed to get a woman for himself. About time! She didn't want to ruin that based on just a hunch.

"Woah!" She yelped as she bumped into someone who somehow just appeared in front of her. And not only that, when she looked down — _down, _at the person she just bumped into, she looked up at her and smiled cheerfully.

"Polly?" Ruby called out. This was the girl that was Emerald's partner that she met after one of her training sessions with Qrow. The girl was a mute from what Em told her, some kind of accident that the Grimm caused took away her ability to speak. Poor girl, and she still wanted to become a huntress!

Polly nodded her head happily and took her hand, getting closer to her than she expected. Close enough for Ruby to smell the perfume and scent of the slightly shorter girl.

"I-I can't dance right now," Ruby said, somehow understanding what Polly meant when she practically pushed her body up against hers. "I have to use the bathroom." She lied desperately in an attempt to push past her and get outside.

Polly instead spun her around in a twirl and sent her _away _from the exit. Ruby just barely caught herself but stumbled, before she could fall however Polly lunged forward and caught her, spinning her around again and dipping her in some kind of dance move. Before Ruby could realize it, her hands were taken and the girl was pressed up against her body. They were dancing, and people were watching them already, some were even recording.

"Polly please… people are watching." Ruby felt her cheeks heat up as she found herself thrown into the center of attention. She looked over her shoulder and tried to telepathically call her father for help, but both he and Yang seemed to look so happy for her. Mistaking her cry for help as a yearning for positive feedback.

Polly giggled silently and lead her on to dance further. She didn't know what she was doing, but nonetheless she tried. At least to try and get this over with as fast as possible in order to save herself embarrassment and judgment from the people around her. Though she had to admit, as the seconds ticked by she was having more and more fun, and at that time went by, she realized something. What if Polly was just trying to have fun with her? And in turn for her to have fun as well? The thought of taking it easy for one night and having fun was definitely appealing… and she _has _been training desperately every morning and night in an attempt to try and reform her entire fighting style.

She could let loose for one night… just this once.

Polly smirked at her as they danced once she saw Ruby begin to giggle and go along with their dancing.

* * *

Outside the ball-room, it was a very starry night. All by herself, Blake looked up to the moon and sighed. She almost was convinced to go to the dance by Sun, but he just didn't understand what was going through her mind. She didn't deserve to have a fun night, not after what she drew her only friends and teammates through at the docks not too long ago. She didn't deserve to laugh, drink punch, dance, and have fun. Not until she made it up to them somehow. Luckily, she knew exactly how to do that.

Hearing those gunshots and sounds of fighting was almost impossible and likely wouldn't have been possible if she didn't have a sharp sense of hearing with the two extra appendages on top of her head. She saw him. _Him. _The man who did her entire team wrong and nearly killed Sun. He just walked into the CCT like a one-man army and killed everyone who got in his way. She followed, but she would have only gotten herself killed if she helped those Atlesian guards. She wondered why the cameras in the building hadn't called for any kind of help, but she quickly realized why when her scroll was offline as well. Having no signal despite being in the one area of Beacon where you _had _to have some kind of signal. With an explosive sigh, she drew Gambol Shroud and crept into the building. Jumping when two more gunshots were heard, along with bodies slumping to the floor. She saw _him _walk into the elevator while whistling a tune and pressed a button that shut the elevator doors behind him and started sending him up.

The control room, she immediately assumed. There's no other reason for why Marcus Black of all people would even consider infiltrating a school of trained huntsman and huntresses. It was the only probability.

She could easily call for help, run back to the ball, get Ozpin and the teachers, and they would go back to deal with him. But would Marcus even still be there by the time they got there? He's already on his way up there even as she considered her options, and decided that she was going to have to be the one to stop this once and for all. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'll make you pay for what you did…" Blake swore under her breath as she broke Gambol Shroud into its two forms, prepared to take on the hardest enemy she has ever faced. "I'll kill you and avenge my teammates and friends. Only then can I ever live on truly content."

Determined, Blake walked into the building and immediately took to the stairs. It was a long way up, but she was a trained huntress and an ex-officer of the White Fang. If she rushed, she'd be up there around the same time he did. And then…

Revenge.

* * *

Marcus pinched his nose shut as the stench of blood filled up the elevator slowly as he ascended the tower. It wasn't anything he wasn't already used to, but it was a nasty smell nonetheless. It was a mixture of iron and rust, and as the oxygen in the blood escaped into the condensed airspace that was within the elevator it made it even worse for the master assassin. Until finally, he was able to take a nice deep breath of fresh air as the elevator dinged a second time and opened its tightly closed metal doors. He waved at the space around his nose and let out an indignant sigh.

"About damn time," Marcus groaned as he stepped into the control room. "You'd think by now they'd have faster elevators by now. That shit's the same it's ever been." He said with a scoff as he made his way to the many rows of computers. Usually, this would be full to the brim of members of the staff of Beacon. Now it was more empty than a village destroyed by the Grimm. Most likely because of the dance they were given the day off, but even if they were here they wouldn't have the training or any hope to stand against him, and he wouldn't have been able to just let them go. Good on Ozpin then for making that decision, a few less people were going to die tonight because of that.

As Marcus made his way through the control room, a wave of memories flooded his mind. He's been there before, a very long time ago. In fact he's been to all of Beacon. He's spent so much time held up in that secret cave of his and intended to never leave until this little mission began. It was part of a way to hide himself from the rest of Beacon and a way to prevent himself from remembering things he didn't want to remember.

Unfortunately, that was just not possible given his experiences and those who he was close with once upon a time. He had to make his way through almost all of Beacon to get to the CCT anyway, and on the way he may have passed by memorable buildings. Like the dorm, the cafeteria, classrooms and lecture halls, and how could he ever forget the combat arena? It all looked slightly different in the twenty years that it's been since he's been there, but all the same it was. He called this place his home once, and he felt like he'd still be here if half his team and brother weren't slaughtered in the Mountain Glenn tragedy.

And now look at him, stopping at the main computer panel to the entire CCT of not only Beacon, but all of Vale, and planting a virus he didn't know much about into one of the open Scroll Ethernet Ports. Immediately, the scroll flashed on. Automatically working to his wonder as a loading screen popped up. Starting from 0% and working its way onward at a reasonably fast pace. Above the little loading bar was a logo of a black queen, and in the corner of it was even a digital signature belonging to an '_A. Watts' _character.

He ignored the unimportant name and stared at the black queen piece. Salem, the Queen of the Grimm, was still ever-present in his mind, memories, and thoughts. Ever since he met her, everything in his life was flipped upside down and changed. For the better? Worst? He didn't know, she was the fucking Queen of the Grimm and yet she was ordering around humans like Cinder and Emerald to do her bidding. Very _unlike _what he imagined what a Grimm Queen would do.

Salem had to be powerful, even more so than Cinder and her fall maiden powers. Maybe even more than Ozpin and every huntsman and huntress who has ever lived. The very personification of evil.

He couldn't say he was any better. He's killed so many people, innocent and guilty, children even. Even his own _son _was among that list. And he was likely going to continue to grow that list as time went on. Freedom was the thing that he was fighting for at the moment. His wife was killed, he murdered his own son, and every person who ever cared for him was either dead or now hated every part of his being.

But, considering what Salem was… was freedom even possible anymore?

Ozpin wanted him captured or dead, Ironwood wanted him captured or dead, and he could imagine the people of Mistral and Vacuo would be the same. Honestly, he might as well be better off just taking his own gun and offing himself right there and now, maybe then he might get the freedom he's been yearning for. His life had no meaning anyway, so why did he keep fighting and doing everything Cinder wanted him to?

'_Promise me…' _Her voice echoed within his mind, she sounded like she was on the verge of death. His breathing choked at the memory of her voice. His hands balled into fists as he watched the loading bar become half full.

'_Promise me… I don't care what you think you are, but I need you to promise me just… Ack… One more thing…' _He remembered the way she coughed up blood as she said those words, there was a deep stab wound in her chest which caught a major artery that lead directly to her heart. She was going to die, and he had no way to stop it even if he wanted to. He remembered just holding her as broken weapon laid meters away, tears streaming down her face as a bloody hand reached up to caress his face. '_You still have a chance… to make things right… I don't know when, but…' _Summer coughed up more blood and heaved hair into her lungs. '_But… call it a gut feeling. Hehe…' _She tried her best to laugh, but it just caused her more pain.

'_Promise me… that you'll know when it's time… When it's time for Marcus Black, the huntsman, not the assassin, to return… And do what he knows is right.' _She waited for his response. Waited for his confirmation, but all she saw was tears. But even in her dying moments, she smiled at him with a bloody mouth.

In the end, he said nothing. And that was exactly what she needed.

Because it wasn't a no.

Tentatively, Marcus reached his shaking hand toward the scroll as the percentage reached up into the high eighties. He wrapped his fingers around the device, two massive parts of his mind clashing against each other as a decision was struggled to be made.

He took a deep breath and made it. Tightening his fingers around the device and steeling himself for what was to come.

A bullet pierced through his shoulder and out through the other side right before his decision could be made. His eyes widened as a splatter of his own blood-soaked the control panel before him, and before he knew it the virus was 100% installed and he was diving behind cover and pushed his aura up to his wound. Wincing as the burning pain shot all the way up his left arm.

"Fuck!" He scolded himself for being caught off guard like that, and for his aura to be down along with it as he struggled with a part of his mind he shut away the moment he left Beacon.

A pair of feet landed on the ground right in front of his cover, and instinctively Marcus flexibly threw his foot up over his head and caught someone right in the leg. A feminine yelp was heard but she corrected herself mid-fall and landed on her hands right in front of him. He shot at her wildly as she made to flip, but her aura deflected his bullets while others missed. When she landed, her bright yellow eyes _glared death _into his black ones.

Enraged at not only being caught off guard but being caught off guard by the same girl he nearly killed back at the docks injured his pride. "You fucking bitch!" He spat as he pushed himself back up to his feet, the adrenaline running through his body and nullifying the pain he felt in the shoulder that was shot. "I let you live at the docks but now you've _really _pissed me off. I hope you're ready to get your ass kicked a second time."

"I won't make the same mistake a second time, _monster_." Blake hissed as she got into a majorly defensive stance. "You stole my friend's semblance and heavily injured the others. I won't let you get away with that _and _do something to Beacon!"

"You're here for revenge then?" Marcus laughed bitterly. "Cute. Let's see how far that gets you..."

Blake wasted no time and used her semblance to get away from Marcus as soon as he dashed toward her. The clone she left behind was completely decapitated as his long knife flowed right through its neck. She winced at the sight as it faded away, but had no more time to think about it as he was on her again at speeds that shouldn't be possible for the human body. Wildly, she dodged and weaved through her attacks, leaving behind dying clones and refusing to let herself get grabbed by the man. She didn't know how he did it, but she knew that if she let him grab her she would lose her semblance, and right now that was the only thing that was even giving her a chance to survive against him.

Even that might not be enough, she realized as she tried to go for a counter-attack in an opening that was open for no more than half a second. But the moment her weapon even got close to his body, a blade flashed and parried it away. He was _so _strong, stronger than Yang and even Nora. Her arm was blasted back with its weapon and she was forced to use her semblance again to get away from him. But as she reappeared again, he predicted her movements and shot at her with his gun.

She deflected the bullets and dashed backward, sending a stone clone of herself to distract Marcus for even a second so that she could figure out some way to catch him off guard. What she didn't expect was for him to simply _kick _the stone statue of herself into non-existence.

He was faster, stronger, more experienced and more skilled. That showed in the way that he fought, he was mad, but followed her with determined precise strikes and cuts even while enraged and with a bullet wound in his shoulder, he was beyond anyone she's ever faced before. She felt like even Miss Goodwitch would have trouble with this man, if not lose herself.

This was a mistake, she very quickly realized. He was just too much for her and she was blinded by a selfish need for revenge. Any kind of determination and will she had in her body was filled with a sense of fear as she felt her body become more and more tired with each dodge and with each attempted attack. She couldn't optimally counter-attack, chances were at the time she did, he would make the second strike, and even if he was injured she guessed he could take far more hits than she ever could. Her aura was being strained and despite not being hit once just yet, her aura was rapidly draining away with each use of her semblance. He didn't even need to steal it in order to beat her. He was just too much for her.

"Ack!" She shrieked as her legs finally gave out as she landed, her own bodyweight crumpled her backward and she landed on her back and felt the wind burst out from her lungs.

Her eyes bulged out of her head as he stabbed his blade into her stomach. Her aura's last reserves protected her from being stabbed, but still left a massive bruise on her belly. Marcus snarled at her as he brought his knife down a second time to try and break her aura.

Blake used her semblance and soon he stabbed his knife in the ground all the way up to the hilt.

She appeared behind him and aimed her gun to the back of his head in a desperate attempt to kill him before he killed her.

Her gun was batted away by the back of his hand just as she shot, and she choked as she felt her throat being squeezed tightly. She cracked open one eye and realized that she was caught, he was too fast and finally caught her. She was now completely at her mercy.

"P-Please…" She begged desperately.

If he heard her, he ignored her. She let out a choked scream as she felt something within her get _pulled _out of her. His hand glowed white and her aura glowed it's dark black, but then turned a mid-tone color as her semblance was stolen from her. Her lungs finally ran out of air as she nearly passed out as her aura was broken and eyes rolled to the back of her skull. He was strangling her to death, and she kicked weakly at him in a desperate attempt to free herself. He had none of it, and just squeezed harder.

She opened her eyes and stared at her would-be killer. He stared back at her with murderous eyes. She didn't want to die, not like this, not after everything she's been through. It's too soon, she was only seventeen!

"P-Plea... ssh." She choked out to him desperately. Tears naturally dripping out of her eyes as her lungs burned and her vision began to darken and see stars.

His grip on her didn't stop at first, and she feared that her pleas fell upon deaf ears. But then his eyes widened slightly, and she dropped to the ground coughing and gasping for air. Falling to her side and clutching at her throat in an attempt to try and open up her trachea once more. Once it did, she took a ragged gasp of breath into her lungs. She continued to cough for several more seconds at the feet of Marcus Black. She was completely vulnerable to her.

Marcus looked down at her and clenched his fists. He really wanted to kill her, he really did.

But at the same time, he didn't. She attacked him for a very good reason, he was the bad guy here and there was no other way to look at it.

At the same time, however, his mission was already complete. He planted the virus in the CCT and the twenty minutes of the EMP from earlier were now up. Which meant he had to get out of there, and quickly.

"Try that again, and you're dead." He told the crying girl below him in a dark voice. He stepped over her and made for the windows, by now, the cameras were back on and an alarm would ring the moment he was revealed. Which he was. All the cameras in that control room were on and all staring right at him. Recording his every moment. He was willing to bet that Ozpin and every teacher in Beacon were on their way, and he did not want to wait to reunite with them.

Blake watched as the man who actually heard her pleas to let her live walked over her and toward the windows. He was going to escape now, and she knew no one would be able to catch him. Her breathing was still ragged and labored as she looked across from her and noticed that Gambol Shroud, which she dropped when Marcus caught her and stole her semblance, was right in front of her just two feet away.

The pain she felt all throughout her body was inhumane. But she willed herself to reach for the weapon anyway. It would be so easy, his guard was down again and this time she wouldn't miss his head. Though her weapon shook in her hand as she tried to raise it to aim it at him.

She was terrified of him, he took her down effortlessly despite being caught off guard so badly. What would happen if she missed?

But… what would happen if she killed him right there? Just one shot to the back of the head, and it would all be over. He was supposed to be the leader of everything going down in Vale and was controlling the White Fang as well. If she cut off the head of the snake right here… then could Vale be saved as well?

It took a lot of thinking in a very short amount of time. But the reward heavily outweighed the risk. What was her life compared to the thousands upon thousands of innocents?

She had to try.

Doing her breath to take in a deep breath and let it out slowly, she aimed her gun at the back of a head of white hair and pulled the trigger.

The bullet pinged off his aura, and he stopped on the spot. His head, which was snapped forward from the force of the bullet slowly raising back into the same spot..

Blake's heart dropped.

In a flash, he turned around and the deafening sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the control room. She stared into wide black eyes as she felt a piercing pain in her chest. Blake felt her lung fill with blood, and for that blood to rise up her throat and burst out her mouth in a mist of red. She fell to the side and clutched her chest, tears pouring out of her eyes as she felt the life within her slowly fade away.

Marcus' hand shook as he holstered the gun back into his pants. He stepped forward with a shocked expression on his face. His breathing increased in pace and he snapped out of it and rushed forward, falling down to one knee to check on the girl he had just shot.

"I… I didn't mean to…" He said in his own skewed way of apologizing. "You shot me, and I just… reacted."

She had just enough time left to look up at him with depressed eyes before she expired. Marcus felt his own heart drop. He killed her. He just killed Blake Belladonna, a huntress of training from Beacon. He watched as she took her final breath, and went limp beneath him. Lifeless amber eyes looking up at him as if accusing him, and rightly so.

He stared at the body of the young girl, who had to be even younger than his own son. Her life just ended by his own hands, and for the first time since he fully became an assassin, he felt sick that he had taken a life. Years and years of training and experience enabled an almost automatic reaction. If you were shot at, shoot back, was what he was taught.

The elevator dinging in front of him shocked him back into reality. He had to leave, and he to do it _now!_

"Oh my God!" He heard Ozpin cry out as he saw his dead and bleeding student at the feet of Marcus Black. "_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE_!?" Powerful green magic burned around his body when he easily put two and two together and figured out who had murdered his student.

"Surround the building!" Ironwood called out as he ran out from behind the headmaster, Glynda Goodwitch coming around the other side and both of them aiming their weapons at Marcus. Not only that, but Qrow and Winter burst through the doors as well, forming a half-circle around Marcus and the dead student of Beacon academy that he had just killed.

"Surrender now Marcus Black," Ironwood demanded as he glared at him. "You are surrounded and there is no escape. This is going to be your final and _only _chance to be brought in alive."

"Fuck!" Qrow screamed in anguish as he looked at Blake's body. "No, no! That's Ruby's missing teammate, isn't it? God dammit..."

Ozpin, in his anger, looked down at his lifeless student. Sadly, he shut his eyes and nodded his head.

"No," Ozpin said as he stepped forward, and for the first time in a long time, released the ancient magic from within him. Marcus stepped back all the way back to the window. Here, he stood no chance. Not against Ozpin and all of those around him. Not by himself. "I have waited for you to come to your senses long enough, Marcus." The headmaster said as his eyes shined green. "I've made many mistakes, and I must admit proudly that you are one of them. I should have never let Summer try to bring you back, and now you have killed one of my students. In turn, I will now _end your life_ once and for all."

Marcus took one look at Ozpins power and had nothing to say to it. He sprinted toward the nearest window and crashed through it. He heard Ozpin and everyone else try to catch him, but they were barely too slow. He threw himself out into the windy sky and was now falling at terminal velocity back down to the ground. From all around, he saw that Beacon was a warzone and everyone was looking for him, and he didn't like his chances of surviving a fall from all the way up there. Even if he did survive the fall, he'd be quickly overwhelmed.

He had to go to either the Emerald Forest or the large body of water that lay in between Vale and Beacon. The forest was too close to Beacon and could lead to him getting caught, so that left only one option.

He was lucky that the tower was so high that he was able to angle his fall in such a way that he would dive directly into the water. As he approached the water he threw whatever weapons he had left except for his gun in a desperate attempt to break the surface of the water so he didn't break every bone in his body diving into it at terminal velocity. He dove so violently into the ocean that he actually saw the bottom before he came to a stop. He swam up to the top and let the tides take him.

Hours later, there were alarms ringing all around Beacon and Vale, and he was dragging himself onto a rocky shore under a dock, coughing up water and curling himself into a ball to try and keep himself warm.

"Fuck…" He cursed to himself as the guilt washed over him. He was so tired, so tired of everything! It was like fate wanted him to suffer, and the voices in his head of everyone he's killed and stolen the semblance of were torturing him right now. And somehow worst of it all was that _she _wasn't even trying to help him anymore like she usually would. Among those voices were, of course, Blake's, the girl he had just killed. Taking her semblance took a part of her soul with it, and now she was never going to leave his mind.

To think he was actually going to do the right thing, like he promised Summer all those years ago. He should have known that it was too late, he should have known that the girl was behind him. It would have saved him a lot of trouble if all he did was stay on his guard. He wouldn't have gotten so angry, and that girl wouldn't be dead right now.

"I-I didn't mean too…" He whimpered as he fell unconscious, the exhaustion of mind and body finally catching up to him and rendering him in a comatose state. His dreams continued to haunt him even as his body rested. The thoughts of everything that has transpired throughout his entire life torturing his mind as always, and this time, there was no suppressing it.

Neo found him some more hours later as the sun was rising high into the sky at noon, unconscious and exhausted. She yawned and kicked at his body lightly in a light punishment for making her come all this way looking for him. Then took him right back to where he didn't want to be.

* * *

**Yup, that happened. This was a part of the story that I constantly re-thought and planned many times over until I eventually came up with this. It was hard, very hard to actually go through with killing Blake. I could have made her go out in a much more heroic way, spitting at Marcus at every turn and putting up a decent fight. But there is a very clear difference between Marcus and her. He is just way too much for her, and realistically she never stood a chance against him in the first place. He only let her live at first because Roman told him not to kill anyone, and he did it again a second time because he remembered what he promised Summer all those years ago. Sadly though, Blake would make the mistake and go on to try and take him out while he turned his back on her, which earned an automatic reaction from Marcus which lead to her death. **

**I told myself that this was going to be a serious and realistic story from the first chapter that I wrote. Or as much as I could make it anyway. Sadly, that meant that Blake had to die here, and die in a sad way. Because that is how life is. It crushes hopes and dreams, and unfortunately, Blake was a dreamer in this situation.**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the chapter.**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	18. Chapter 18

**And we are back. I haven't posted a chapter for this story since last year! Hah, yeah, that joke will never go away sadly. Anyhow, this chapter should hopefully be a little shorter. All the climax happened last chapter with Blake's death, so let's take a bit of a breather here… Bah, knowing me, I'm going to write more than I planned. **

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 18**

* * *

_Nothing felt like progress before what I did back then… typical… I just kept going with the flow after that…_

Marcus felt woozy and dizzy, his eyes felt open but it was difficult to see, a piercing pain in his shoulder spiked and he heard himself groan as a result. Then hands were on him, helping him up to a sitting position. He coughed up excess saliva mixed with blood. But he was alive, in pain, but alive. Next, he heard something call out to him, he recognized the voice of his old partner and relaxed, realizing that he was no longer in danger.

Then the memories flooded. How he got there, diving out of the window all the way at the top of the CCT in Beacon and maneuvering himself through the air so that he could dive into the ocean, only to then be forced to swim miles over countless hours. It was not the movie chase scene he imagined, it was just pure desperation. He just kept swimming toward land, blacking in and out as the exhaustions continued to weigh him down. He passed out the moment he pulled himself onto a rock, where someone picked him up.

He shook his head and let himself lie back down into the surprisingly soft cushions. He won the night… but it didn't feel like he did anything worthwhile. That girl… that stupid, _fucking idiot_ of a girl… she just didn't know when to quit, and she got exactly what she deserved for trying to kill him when he showed mercy for the first time in years. What was she thinking… what was _he _thinking? Now Ozpin wanted him dead, Qrow even more so, and he could make a willing bet that the General and headmaster of Atlas wanted a piece of him now after he killed a dozen of his men.

It was so exhausting thinking about it… he just wanted to keep sleeping.

"Hey!" A slap to his face had Marcus waking up violently, grabbing the hand that struck him and reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. Roman's green eyes stared back at him with shock and he pulled his hand away. Marcus was almost too strong to lose the grip, but Roman was an ex-huntsman himself. He was more than strong enough to overpower him in his current state. "Calm down man, it's me, Roman." The criminal assured him, even going as far as to kick away his own cane weapon as a way to help calm him down.

"Ro… man." Marcus said slowly, going limp as he remembered that he was now in a safe place. Well, as safe as it can be with Roman and his little pet in the room with him while he was at his weakest. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Roman laughed. "You earned the aggro of just about two whole kingdoms, that's what happened. Now tell me why you thought it was a good idea to kill that girl? Don't tell me she actually got the drop on you…"

Marcus groaned and made himself sit up, then groaned again as he felt the same stinging pain in his shoulder. Shit, his aura was still down. Which meant his body was healing entirely naturally. In other words, too slow. His black eyes opened wider to look around the room he was held up in. It looked like some kind of apartment. He sat on an actual comfortable bed that's sheets were soaked with his sweat and his knives and weapons were being toyed with my Neo. Who sat at a normal looking wooden dining table and waving at him with the usual sly smirk she always wore on her face.

"No," Marcus finally answered his question. "At the start she did, but she made too many mistakes. It ended up costing her life. Stupid girl…"

"Hm," Roman hummed. He didn't care much for the girl that was killed, the stupid cat faunus made his work difficult when she first brought her whole damn team to the docks. Honestly, she should have died there. Would have if he didn't ask Marcus not to kill anyone. One would have thought that she'd stop pushing her luck then, cats only have nine lives after all, and from what he's heard about her over the news being an ex-member of the White Fang, she used up just about seven by the time she even made it to Beacon. "Well, it's been a while since you woke up." He went on, changing the topic.

"How long?" Marcus asked, suddenly worried.

"Three to four days, you had a hole in your shoulder and swam God knows how many miles before Neo found you on the rocky shore. You looked just about dead,"

"I feel it," Marcus agreed. "Who treated me?"

"Er…" Roman nervously pulled at his collar. "Well, you know how far my first aid experience goes, and Neo ain't that good at it either… but I'll just leave it at our mutual friend."

Cinder then, damn. There went the debt that she may have felt like she owed him. Marcus sighed and nodded his head, falling back into the bed he wondered how she did it. It was probably easy for her to demand that she and him were to be left alone for a considerable amount of time. He tried to feel around for any abnormalities around his body, and to his relief, he definitely seemed like he was still human. The Grimm parasite though, he felt it's presence ever still, residing within his body and ready to make shut him down if he got a little too uppity. That left one other possibility that he honestly didn't know if it was good or not. She treated him, warmed up his body and bandaged his wounds. The moment he was conscious again his aura would start regenerating, and he could feel it slowly replenish itself even now. Cinder just wanted him to get better, and fast. Which meant that there was a reason that she went out of her way to spend what must have been hours to treat him for his wounds. Not just out of the kindness of her heart, but because she needed more from him.

He cursed under his breath as he wondered what else he had to do for that damn woman.

"Guess you figured that one out pretty quickly," Roman said as he lit one of his cigars and puffed smoke through his nose. "You should probably rest some more before she finds out that you're awake. I am going to get one of little Em's calls pretty soon checking up on me. They're still in Beacon, but she'll definitely take a trip over here the second she finds out you're awake."

"Where are we?" Marcus interrupted, looking to the criminal through the corner of his eye as he rested.

"Straight to it then, alright. We're in one of my hideouts," Roman spread his arms apart and smirked, showing off his rather dull and simple hideout to his old partner. "It's amazing how a simple name change, some false, personal information, and a wig can do to rent a place out like this. Don't worry, this is going to be the last place anyone would care to look for you."

"Good," Marcus didn't like the thought of how easy it would be for any huntsman to kick down the door and rat them all out, but he was too exhausted to express those thoughts at the moment. If they lasted a few days already, then it could last a few more so that he would recover.

"This going to become normal for us Marcus? This is the second time I have to look after your ass, pretty disappointing for a master assassin, I must say."

"Fuck off."

"Is that any way to say 'thank you'?" Roman pointed to the mute. "And I think you owe her a few words of thanks. If it weren't for her, someone else would have found you down there on those rocks. I can't imagine the trial afterward would have been easy for you."

Neo made a fake puppy-eyed expression when Marcus didn't say anything to either of them after that. Even after their little moment in the cave… Neo dared to think that they were friends! Rude.

"Hey," Roman leaned over his exhausted ex-partner as he rested. "You usually say something else after the 'Fuck off', everything alright in there?"

An odd question to hear among the countless voices of the ones he stole the semblances of in his head constantly cursing him for locking yet another person up in his arsenal. The girl's voice was the loudest of them all, cursing him for ending her life while she was still so young. His voice was, of course, the loudest, and the strongest. He was the owner of his own body and his thoughts usually always clouded over the words of the damned. Though Summer's was strangely absent. She was always the second loudest in his head, always making her presence known since the day she died. He opened his tired eyes open again as the emotions were once again stamped out into null, and looked at Roman.

"I'm fine," He half-lied. "I just need some sleep."

Roman leaned back away and huffed. Yeah, he didn't buy that for a second. The way his old friend said that was very off and unlike the man that he'd gotten to know over the recent months. He reminded him more of… back then, with the way his dead voice spoke to him and the way his eyes looked so exhausted and… sad even. Roman was no psychologist and wasn't _too _good at figuring out what was wrong with a person at first look, but Marcus was an entirely different story. His life is a completely different story. So he chose not to pry and to leave the man be to his rest. If he needed it, he could feed himself with the dry food that's been in that place for who knows how long.

"C'mon Neo," Roman said as he made his way to the exit. The mute flipped over her chair and appeared by his side, walking behind him and fortunately choosing to leave Marcus' weapons at the table as well. He remembered the moment where he had to take all those blades off his unconscious body. No one needed _that _many knives and ammo all inside their clothes and in places that didn't seem comfortable whatsoever. "I'll send the text to Cinder so you don't have to, and whatever you do, don't try drawing on his face with a marker like I caught you doing the other day." He scoffed as he flicked away his cigar when Neo raised her two fingers into the air for a scouts honor promise. "I can't promise you he won't be angry once he finds out what you did to one of his knives, and when it happens, I'll take a nice bathroom break."

Neo stuck her tongue out at the criminal and disappeared out of thin air, her semblance taking her someplace else. Roman stopped once she was gone and looked back at the now sleeping Marcus. He pitied the guy, he really did. They were the best of friends not that long ago and even now he was able to tell that the guy was going through some shit. He honestly felt a little bad for him, along with being thankful that he wasn't his enemy for now.

"Rest up buddy, you know as well as I do that we are nowhere near done with Cinders shit." He warned. "And it won't be long 'till you see me again, we both know that."

Marcus listened as the man who used to be his partner leave the room, leaving him completely alone. Only then was he able to relax even in the slightest. If only he knew… no, if he knew that he was supposed to kill him pretty soon, then he'd be dead already. Being so weak as it is.

He willed his aura to regenerate faster as he rested, another trick that he picked up over the years. Once he was satisfied with the minuscule amount of aura he was able to regenerate quickly, he let himself pass out. By the time he woke up, he'd be good enough for whatever Cinder needed from him. That was all he needed now.

* * *

Ozpin has been in this position before, and it was one of the few things that was able to make him want to do anything but this. In front of him were the fractured members of Team RWBY, now Team RYS or Rose, after the death of their fourth teammate. Ruby, the young girl he's been keeping an eye on for some time because of the color of her eyes never looked so depressed and defeated in her life. To her right was her elder sister, who shared a very similar expression, and to her left was Weiss Schnee, the heiress who let her hair down for once, but only because she simply didn't have the energy to put it up to come see him when they were all called. It was clear on all of their faces that they have all been crying for some time. The death of Blake Belladonna shook them to their cores and shattered their spirits.

"I am sorry that I didn't call you here for different reasons," Ozpin said carefully, over the shoulders of the girls before him, their family members were all present as well. Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long for Yang and Ruby, and Winter Schnee for Weiss. After asking them for permission to continue with his eyes, he went on to explain their situation. "But this meeting needed to happen, the loss of your fourth teammate… I feel for you all, I really do. I understand your feelings, for my entire team met a similar fate." And hundreds to thousands more moreover through the thousands of years that he has lived, he knew more than any other living person what it felt like to lose a loved one. He lost count of the number of families he has had and lost over the years. And each one of them hurt even now. The expression of the three girls before him still, however, made him pity them all. So young… they shouldn't have had to go through this so early on in their lives.

"But I won't pretend to know every little thing you are each going through, to do that would be an insult." At the nod of their heads, he continued. "Due to your team being reduced to three members, and for the concerning mental state and physical states of each and every one of you, I am afraid that I am required to bar you all from taking training missions until you are all cleared. Your grades will be exempt or be given an automatic hundred depending on the professor, but fear not for I know my staff will be lenient."

"However, it goes deeper than that," He took a deep breath and removed his glasses. "You will not be able to enter the Vytal Festival Tournament, for fear of your lives and for what the man who has done this to you may have planned. I am sorry."

Taiyang rubbed his oldest daughter's shoulders and showed his support once the tears slowly started to flow out of her eyes again. Qrow placed a hand on Ruby's shoulders once she began to shake, and Winter hugged her younger sister when she let her head fall into her hands and whimper. Ozpin feared that if their loved ones weren't there, they would have been far more emotional in their reactions.

"I am also sorry that we weren't able to catch that man…" Ozpin went on, feeling long locked away emotions swell up from within his mind. "Marcus Black is a top priority target for all of Vale _and _Beacon as a whole. If needs be, _I _will go down and hunt him personally. I know it won't do anything for your fallen comrade, but I promise you all that her death will not be in vain."

"Can we leave now?" Weiss asked through her tears. The heiress to the Schnee Dust company looked nothing like the heiress he has seen on the television from time to time, her eyes were rimmed with red and she was irritable. Completely understandable and with a good reason why. Ozpin nodded his head grimly.

"You may."

Weiss and Yang were the first to stand up and go, but Ruby, to everyone's surprise, stayed behind. Qrow offered to stay with her and did as Yang, Taiyang, Winter, and Weiss all made their way out of the office. Ozpin remained silent as Ruby whispered something to Qrow, and the old huntsman nodded his head and gave them both some space. Knowing that her semblance was stolen and that she has been struggling trying to become a better huntress without the dependency of her semblance. Qrow has kept him up to date on her progress, she has trained to surpass herself and learned how to fight with a different weapon. Crescent Rose was still her priority go to, but following in the footsteps of her uncle, she has began to use a sword as well. It was a sword from a friend apparently, but she was adapting.

Or at least that was what she _was _doing before the incident at the dance. Now… she never seemed so weak before. It pained him to think it, but was this really was the silver-eyed warrior he has had held such high hopes for so far?

"Is there something that you need, Miss Rose?"

"Yeah…" The girl meekly replied. Even her voice sounded broken. "I-I just need to know something… something that I think you would better than the other person who would…"

"I will help however I can," Ozpin promised.

"Okay…" Ruby fidgeted with her hands and then moved on to play with the hanging strands of her hair. She was nervous and within reason. A quarter of her team has been killed and her semblance was gone. He expected the question to be about her standing as a huntress if she would be allowed to continue. If it had been anyone else, he would have given them mandatory medical recovery leave. It was only her eyes that kept her in Beacon now. Of course, he is going to give her the answer that makes her the happiest, whatever it may be. No other course of action was acceptable with how delicate her situation was.

"It's about Marcus Black…"

Ozpin exhaled air through his nose in the only external sign of surprise that he felt. Out of all the things he expected Ruby to ask him about, right now, his old student was at the very bottom of that list.

"Marcus Black…" He repeated the name calmly, letting his surprise fade away as he made room for rational thought. "What about him?"

"I want you to tell me about him, he used to go here, right?"

"He did…"

"How did the man that I saw in the pictures that dad showed me become the way he is now?" She asked, her voice becoming more and more frantic as she slowly lost her cool. "How could a huntsman do such… evil things!?"

Ozpin wondered the same thing, over his many many years. There have been those he trusted the most, who then turned to darkness. Sometimes because Salem threatened them, others because they see the entire situation as hopeless. He's been betrayed over and over to the point where he expects it. Marcus was a special case, he had a very good reason to stop being a huntsman. Others lose friends and family members and decide that it's time to hang up the sword while others continue the good fight. But him… He was never on his side in the first place.

"Marcus Black was a man of strong virtue and was a hard man to get along with," He began. "Not even his brother was able to know him perfectly, even though they have been around each other for their whole lives. He had considerable skill, more than almost every other person who applied that year. So much so that the team he lead was able to start taking their training missions early." The headmaster closed his eyes as he remembered, knowing very well that Ruby was leaning forward with great interest. "He was good, too good. I ran a background check and his records were clean, I was suspicious so I took a look at them myself. There was nothing suspect… that I could find. I let it go since he was causing no trouble, and a huntsman with his skill would be greatly needed for the world. Eventually, I even grew fond of him as a student… Then the Mountain Glenn incident occurred."

"He lost his brother and one of his teammates, and then he showed his true colors. Not even Qrow's team at the time we're able to get through to him, and he was revealed to be an assassin the entire time. Even going as far as being the one responsible for many assassinations across Vale and Mistral. Miss Rose, if you are asking me if Marcus Black was ever a good man, then the answer I have for you will be hard to hear."

"You don't need to tell me," Ruby shook as she spoke. "I already know enough… I wanted to believe that there is good in everyone, like my mom did, I wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, there is a way to turn him good again." Ozpin felt a pit of tremendous guilt and sadness as he was reminded of Summer Rose, a woman who once spoke similar words in the defense of her friend. "But… he killed my teammate." Her hands balled into tight fists. "He stole my semblance, he hurt my sister and humiliated Weiss. He's done nothing but hurt people the entire time he's been in Vale. Why hasn't he been stopped yet!?" She suddenly cried, leaping into a stance and slamming her fists onto Ozpin's desk. The headmaster did not flinch, but Qrow called out and reached to her and only stopped when Ozpin waved a hand in his direction.

"Why is he still out there, why did he get away with everything he did?" Ruby screamed at the headmaster. "How was he able to escape _you _of all people!? Aren't you supposed to be the strongest in Vale? He got away with killing my teammate and now he is in Vale hurting even more people why hasn't he been stopped yet!?"

"Miss Rose," Ozpin's voice was ever calm but held an incredible amount of weight to it. Ruby realized her outburst and backed up from the desk. Her hands shaking and bruised from slamming them into his desk so hard. Because of her aura, the metal desk was dented and cracked. But more than that, his patience was running thin. "I have made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this planet. Haven't I told you that before? I must have. But I assure you, that the decisions that I will be making, will not be mistakes." He stood up, his towering height intimidating the younger girl, though that was not his intention. "I made the mistake of hoping that your mother was right, that Marcus Black was redeemable when he is far from any iota of good. No longer, as of today, Marcus Black is registered as not just the most wanted man, but a man wanted for doom. At the moment of his death, you shall be told." He tapped his cane on the ground, as if he was a judge calling for order.

"Now, you have some recovering to do. Take this week off with your team and heal your wounds, however spiritual or physical. You are all aspiring huntresses, and you shall not let this loss hold you down forever. You are dismissed."

"Y-yes, headmaster. Sorry." Ruby said as she bowed her head submissively. Ozpin was lenient enough to let her go without punishing her in any way, she was swirling with emotions after all.

As the girl left, Winter and General Ironwood were making their way back into his office. Qrow followed his niece out, giving a nod of his own approval to the headmaster as he went to make sure his family and friends were okay. James made his way to his desk and even showed his condolences with Qrow for his hurt family members. Quickly, the bad luck charm said his goodbyes and left. Leaving just Ozpin, Winter, and Ironwood together.

"I am so sorry," Ironwood said the moment Qrow left. "I did not place enough security at the CCT, I didn't even realize what was happening until the cameras were back online. If only I was more careful…"

"Do not blame yourself for what is not your fault," Ozpin said as he stood at the windows looking over Vale and Beacon. "We were outsmarted and caught off guard. But never again…"

"Thank you…" Ironwood hesitated. Beside him, Winter nodded her head. "Some time ago, I gave Winter the okay to form a small squad to go hunt down the man, though they nearly succeeded, it sadly did not work. I couldn't help but overhear what you said to the girl earlier…"

"Permission granted," Ozpin said before Ironwood even made to explain himself. "As a member of the Valean council and the headmaster of Beacon, I give you full authority over the security of both Vale and Beacon."

"Ozpin I-" Ironwood clicked his mouth shut. He wanted this from the start, but now that he had it, he didn't feel as proud as he thought he would have. "Thank you… so you already knew then?"

"Nothing goes in or out of this school without my knowing… most of the time." Ozpin added bitterly. "I let you do what you wanted because I thought it was right. Now I know for sure that you are trustworthy enough. So yes, I agree." He turned to face his fellow headmaster. "Call in your Ace Squad, and do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of Vale."

Ironwood sadly nodded his head. Ozpin didn't want to relinquish control, but his hand was forced. Blake Belladonna's death showed that there was something very wrong with his views of what was necessary and what was not.

"Do it," Ironwood said to Winter.

"Yes sir," Winter reached for her scroll and called a number. Ozpin sipped at his mug and turned back around as the scroll rang for no more than three seconds.

"Clover, Operation: _White _is a go. Bring your squad here ASAP, and commence the hunt."

"_Yes, mam." _The commander of the Ace Squad replied.

Ozpin continued to look over Vale with a grim expression. Somewhere down there, Marcus was hiding. Not for long, he thought. His schemes would end swiftly and quickly, and now that he has lost every ounce of pity from the old headmaster, he was now deemed an enemy.

It was time to assassinate the assassin.

* * *

Marcus adjusted his position as he rolled his injured shoulder. The bandages were still necessary to help stem some of the pain but after another three days of resting and recovering, he was able to take care of himself now. He wasn't full strength despite his aura being recovered, but he was at the 'good enough' he instilled for himself in the past. Exactly what Cinder needed.

His hand lingered around the bullet wound for a moment longer than it should. It would scar, forever reminding him of that murder. Just like all the other scars he has scattered around his body. Every once in a while, there was a few huntsman who were able to really get a good hit on him and give him a run for his money. Some were even better than him, but he'd come out on top nevertheless. Now that he was awake and stronger however, the voices were being much more controlled. Good, now he was able to think clearly.

From the small TV that Neo was so kind as to leave on for him and hide the remote, a news channel told him that there was a public funeral held for the girl he'd killed. All of Beacon gave her the highest honors and despite being dead, she was given her license as a true huntress. He shot the TV before it could tell him any more. She was dead, what point was there to keep fretting about it? It didn't make all that much sense to him.

Someone knocked at his door and he instinctively reached for his pistol to shoot whoever the would-be intruder may be. Only to stop and put it down once Cinder let herself in and smirked at him.

"You look as good as new," the woman greeted him as she locked the door behind her.

"Sure," Marcus replied. She hasn't returned since he got hurt in the first place, but Roman must have passed on the message that he was better. Typical for her to come right when he was starting to actually feel better. His muscles were still extremely sore and his lungs were still recovering from inhaling as much water as he did. He could still taste the salt. But there was no rest for the pursuit of his freedom, he needed to play along with whatever Cinder wanted from him until it was his time to make his move. Until then, he was her pawn.

"You will be traveling soon, so I certainly hope so." Cinder sat down at the table across from him. "Has Roman informed you?"

"He has not."

"Hmph. Very well, I shall do that for him then." Cinder tilted her head and started gauging his future reaction, which was his sign to hide that reaction when it came. "You and him along with Neo will be returning to Mountain Glenn." He didn't react outwardly, even at the mention of the location of his brother's death. "You will be brought along as extra security with some members of the White Fang in order to make sure that everything is just right."

"What task will I be looking over?"

"You'll see."

"Tch," A reaction, Marcus cursed inwardly. Cinder wanted him to go on a mission he didn't know the full details of without being at full strength. It was a test of some kind, it had to be. Because if something really did go wrong, he could only do so much about it by himself. "Why are you sending me on a mission without telling me what that mission entails?" He asked once he accepted that Cinder won their little bout of words.

"For reasons of my own," Cinder admitted so little. "Do not worry, you should not be in any grave danger. Just make sure that the animals do as they are told, and everything will be fine. Don't you trust me?" She reached over and caressed his forearm. Her hand felt hot like a stove. The threat was clear.

"Of course," He lied through his teeth. Cinder smiled.

"Then trust my judgment, and meet up with Roman in two hours. You will be headed there by Bullhead. Do make sure that you are well enough by then."

As if he had control of how fast he healed… He didn't say.

"Fine," Marcus sighed and grabbed his shirt, lifting it over his head and putting it on. "I'll do as you say."

"Good man," Cinder purred and stood up. "I must return to Beacon in the meantime, there was a death in the student body and I am _oh so sad _about it." She taunted. "I must make sure to console those who have been hurt by the loss, I will remain in contact dear. Do make sure you continue to impress, I may be willing to offer you some rest after this upcoming mission…"

"Sure," Marcus said without any real interest. Any attraction he had for the woman faded once he realized how dangerous and sadistic she really was. To make it worse, she works for the literal embodiment of evil. He wouldn't ever be caught looking at her strangely again.

"So long then, darling." Cinder said as she stood up and left the room, stopping once to take one last look at him before they meet again in what she assumed to be quite some time. Weeks, Marcus immediately presumed. Whatever Roman and the White Fang needed to do in Glenn would take weeks. He nodded back and strapped on the rest of his weapons, his body hurt all over, but he'd get over it with some time. What was most important was that he was being given time alone with Roman, and a chance to finally start that list that Anon gave him some time ago. There was no real-time limit on their agreement, but he didn't want to wait and see if there was one to begin with.

He'd have to make a move in Glenn… Whatever that was going on over there, Roman couldn't make it out of there. An accident would happen, surely.

As he thought of that and looked at his knife, his hand began to shake again just like it did back in the tower. He grit his teeth and threw the knife into one of the cabinets.

He couldn't let his emotions control him anymore. He was trained to kill them, and so he would do just that. Because of those emotions, he almost made a dire mistake in that tower, and because of them he almost let someone live after being given clear instruction to eliminate anyone who spotted him.

He was no huntsman, he was an assassin. She was wrong about him. An assassin he would forever be.

"Alright," His voice didn't sound nearly as determined. "Let's keep going then…"

* * *

**Wow… I actually followed a plan for once? That's actually… very surprising. Can't believe I actually managed to keep true to a plan and write three simple scenes. Anyway, this was a pretty serious/sad chapter. It sucks to see all this happening, but believe me, everything happens for a reason. Remember that, and what happens in the future of this story will be of little surprise. I may have said this before, but if all goes well and according to plan, this story should end in the thirties… hopefully.**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	19. Chapter 19

**Here we are again boys and girls. Back to yet another continuation for this story. So far this is the most fast-paced story that I've got so far, and I aim to keep it that way. I am going to try out a different style of writing for a bit here, nothing too insanely different from how I usually write, but if you squint you will be able to see a hint of difference. If I don't like it, I'll probably swap back to normal automatically. You'll probably notice that too.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 19**

* * *

_Two words- No, four. Fuck the Ace Ops…_

Four days. Just four days is how long it took for Ironwoods Ace Ops to make it from Atlas all the way to Vale in one simple long trip via the fastest Bullhead that Atlas had on stock. It caught Ozpin off guard, at best, he expected it to take a week or perhaps more. But thankfully, this was one of those surprises that made him smile as he heard the news of said surprise. Before him stood General Ironwood, and the best squad of huntsman in Atlas at his side. Clover Ebi was a man with a semblance of good fortune, the complete opposite of Qrow one might say if they compared the two. Tall, built, disciplined. Reported as a great soldier and Huntsman, and also the leader of the Ace Ops who answers only to General Ironwood himself, Winter Schnee, or the council of Atlas. Beside him were his soldiers — not teammates, as they were quick to disclose — Marrow Amin, a dog faunus with dark skin and pale blue-green hair. His semblance was to temporarily slow downtime in a fixed area or person. Next was Harriet Bree, a woman with a speed semblance similar to Miss Rose's before she, unfortunately, had it stolen. The last two being a man and a woman respectively were named Elm Ederne and Vine Zeki. The former's semblance being to root herself in place with aura and tank almost any head-on attack, or it could be used to keep her balance, and the latter's being to send out his aura through his arms (or legs) like… 'Vines'. Whoever named that one either had a cruel sense of humor or could see the future.

It was said that they've never failed a mission before. Quite lethal in battle and had amazing teamwork. Perfect, the old headmaster thought. He wondered why he never brought himself to meet the squad on his own terms, they would make for a great decision into his circle. He may just find use for them after the deed is done, since Ironwood was… to put it kindly, right under his thumb. The Ace Ops might just find themselves with a new employer.

"It is great to meet you all at last," Ozpin began, his voice authoritative yet polite. "Although I wish we could have met in different circumstances, there is a duty to be done. So, Clover Ebi, you are the leader of the Ace Ops correct?"

"I am." The brown-haired man nodded his head. "General Ironwood filled us in on the mission we have come here to do."

"Yes; Operation White he called it." Ozpin rolled his eyes internally at the name, the meaning of white was very clear when it came to what they are up against. "Tell me what you know about your target."

"Sir," Clover saluted, shifted his stance so that he stood sideways to the headmaster and then uttered out a single command to his soldiers. "Soldiers, recite your briefing."

Marrow was the first to step up. "The targets name is Marcus Black. He has white hair, pale skin, black eyes, and has been seen wearing a red and black shirt with no sleeves, brown pants and black boots."

Up next was the woman with hot pink eyes, Harriet. "He is enlisted as hyper lethal, we are all ordered to not do combat against him one on one, always in at least a pair."

The towering tall woman was next, Elm. "Also, he uses short blades such as knives or small swords along with a state of the art Atlesian Handcannon, which shoots .50 caliber dust rounds that have the potential to penetrate aura if shot at the right spot."

And last but certainly not least, the man with the markings on his forehead. Vine. "He is known to have huntsman training from the best school on Remnant, Beacon. And is also a trained assassin with hundreds of confirmed kills of both other huntsman, and his targets. His semblance has no designated name, but we have given it the callsign _STEAL._ From what scarce victims that have survived encounters with him, we know that under no circumstances shall we ever allow skin to skin contact with that man, lest we give him our semblance."

"I have issued them to all have full-body skin-tight battle armour by the time the hunt begins," Ironwood announced. "If by chance that the armour is pierced through or broken, it has also been fitted with the option to self-destruct."

Ozpin raised his eyebrows with shock. "Why?"

"Sir," Clover faced him and saluted once more. "All of our semblances are powerful in their own right, if the target managed to somehow get through the armour and steal one of our semblances, it would not only render one of our combatants incapacitated but also stands to empower the target even further."

"And you know this how?" Ozpin inquired. To his shame, he himself didn't know how exactly his former student's semblance worked. As far as he knew, he could shut semblances down and that's that.

"After reviewing footage from the battle on the docks some weeks ago," Ironwood pulled up the same video he was describing. "It was noted that when the target caught Ruby Rose, an esteemed huntress here at Beacon, while stealing her semblance not only her semblance glowed, but his as well. It is a hypothesis that Marcus Black can not only steal semblances but aura as well. We cannot risk Marcus Black returning to full strength after bringing him so low. Not and risk losing the entire Ace Ops itself."

Finally, the council of Vale, who were sitting silent throughout the entire conversation up until this moment finally spoke up. "_So, you believe that even with the full might of your… 'Ace Ops', they might not be enough?"_

"Rest assured Councilman Albert, Marcus Black stands no hope of fighting us all at once. Even in pairs I doubt he'd be able to. But if there is even a chance that he defeats one of us and takes their semblance, we can't risk failing the entire operation."

"_Obviously you know that self-destructing would cost you your own life. Are you willing to take such drastic measures?" _Councilwoman West inquired.

Clover and the rest of his Ace Ops, along with General Ironwood, all stared back at the woman's face with the utmost determination and truth.

"Yes." They all answered at the same time.

"_Good." _The same councilwoman said with a pleased smirk. Such were the way things really worked with the government of Remnant. At any means necessary, Marcus Black has committed crimes against _all _kingdoms of Remnant, and after coming to a deal with

Ironwood, Vale would get the credit for the termination of Marcus Black. He was a known assassin and a man of true evil. The world would rejoice and Vale would be the one to thank for the ridding of such a person. It was a sacrifice for the General to make, but he had to put aside petty squabbles to empower one's name for the purpose of doing what was right, and what was right was making sure that there would never be another Blake Belladonna out there. He never wants to be present for the funeral of a seventeen-year-old huntress in training again, and especially not one of his own.

"_You then hereby have our permission to pursue and hunt down Marcus Black, as long as the terms we have come to remain…"_

"I will not go back on my word, council members." Ironwood bowed his head submissively.

The council winked out of the screen a few moments later, having gotten what they already wanted there was no reason for them to remain present on the screen. As soon as they were gone every member of the Ace Ops relaxed their stances. Some even hunched over or stretched their arms over their heads and yawned. Ozpin looked at the scene and chuckled to himself, it was the same way he felt every time he had to speak to any of the other council members. Sometimes he wishes that he never had to converse with them and that being the headmaster of Beacon didn't mean that he had to have a seat on the council. It was all very obnoxious, but nothing he couldn't handle.

"When will you all be making your move?" Ozpin asked Clover.

"As soon as possible," The man replied much more crassly than before, he crossed his arms and adopted a smug smirk. "It's about time we were sent after that fucker. I've had enough of watching the news about seeing someone new being killed by that guy."

"For a guy who's supposed to be a master assassin, he's unusually famous." Harriet snorted. "Aren't master assassins supposed to be the incognito of incognito?"

"Most of them are," Vine said, his palms were pressed against each other, almost like he was praying as he spoke. His voice was calm and pure. "I've heard of their organization, simply called 'the organization'. I never encountered one before, so this will surely be a valuable learning experience for us all."

"Not all of them are sent after council members or Schnee's," Marrow huffed. "I have a feeling that there was a reason this _specific _guy was sent after each and every one of the hot important targets around the world. I mean, didn't he go after and _kill_ the last headmaster of Shade?"

"Awe, is the poor puppy scared of the big bad assassin?" Elm teased the short man, which earned a nice 'fuck you' as the instantaneous reply. "I for one can't _wait _to crush this man into the dirt! I haven't had a good fight in so long!"

"Don't treat this guy like any other fight," Clover piped in, and instantly the Ace Ops were all silenced and listened to their commander. "If you let your guard down for even a second, he will kill you. Make no mistake of that, understand?"

"Yes, sir." His soldiers replied.

"Good," Clover smiled and nodded his head with approval.

"They are very disciplined," Ozpin remarked to Ironwood. "They make good soldiers."

"They are," Ironwood confirmed. "With their might and intelligence, Marcus Black will be rooted out and destroyed. Of that, I promise you."

"Make no promises," Ozpin suddenly barked, Ironwood stepped back with surprise on his face. Ozpin never used that tone with him before. "I will not allow promises because you never know what kind of things that man has at his disposal. Why I have good suspicion who he is contracted to at the moment… I am sure with some thought, you shall know the same."

Ironwood swallowed and understood what Ozpin met. The last part was said in a whisper, and Clover and the Ace Ops knew better than to be nosy about something that they weren't allowed to know just yet.

"Go on then, do your duty," Ozpin demanded next, turning around and facing the windows of his office once more. "Make your presence as scarce as possible, Ace Ops. I expect a check-in every few minutes once the mission starts. And if at any moment you believe that Marcus Black will somehow win or take one of you down, self-destruct or full retreat. There is no shame in preventing needless death or committing yourselves to a crushing defeat."

"Understood, sir." Clover accepted without any hesitation.

Ozpin watched in the reflection of the window before him as all of the Ace Ops went back into the elevator and descended back down into their private quarters. Presumably to begin gearing up and preparing themselves for what's to come. Good, they would need every second of preparation they needed. The headmaster knew that Marcus was good, maybe even good enough to take _him _on in single combat and have a chance at winning. But no amount of skill would be enough to defeat the entire Ace Op's by himself. Or so he told himself. Anything was possible, and they were on a string of defeats as it is.

"How is the maiden?" Ironwood asked once they were alone.

"Alive," Ozpin said.

"Have you found a candidate to take her power?" The General then asked in a lower voice.

"Multiple in fact, but the primary choice at the moment is Pyrrha Nikos. I am sure you have heard of her."

"I have, and I believe that she will make for a wonderful maiden. Have you brought it up to her yet?"

"Not yet. I've been… preoccupied as of late as I am sure you can imagine. I don't know when next he'll strike, where, how, and if he will at all." Ozpin sighed dramatically. "He was in Beacon, James. He was in Beacon the night of the dance, and likely before that as well. He was right under my nose and yet I missed him. Because of my mistake, Blake Belladonna is dead."

"You couldn't have known… Ozpin." Ironwood tried to console his old friend.

"I should have…" Ozpin closed his eyes. He mourned the death of his student, along with many others. "I should have… but I won't let it control me, I must let the mistake help me grow." He had to, living as long as he did if he meddled with his mistakes in his mind every single time he made one he would have gone mad, and in some cases, had gone mad.

"I am glad to hear it," Ironwood said with a sad smile. "As for Miss Nikos, when shall we give her the choice?"

"Soon, my friend," Ozpin said calmly. "Right now, Team JNPR has been logged for a training mission. I almost had a mind to cancel all of the training missions for student safety, but a certain member of Team RYS saw fit to inform me of something that their late teammate found and left behind for them. Information on the White Fang's potential whereabouts, and you would never guess where…"

"The same place my drones were mysteriously shot down," Ironwood pieced it together and figured out what the headmaster meant. "Mountain Glenn."

"Indeed. Along with Qrow and Specialist Schnee, they will go on a search of destroy mission." Ozpin looked to Ironwood. "Make sure that your Ace Ops will be ready if the time comes."

"I will," Ironwood assured. "Shall I let them know now?"

"Please do." Ozpin sipped at his mug and continued staring out as the sunset before him. Ironwood knew that it was time to take his leave, and did so with little thought as he realized that Ozpin wasn't going to continue speaking. After giving his goodbyes, Ironwood turned and entered the elevator, descending down to likely tell the Ace Ops of Ozpin's decision. In the meantime, the old headmaster let himself lose his posture and he let his head slump against the glass, staring into his own brown eyes as his glasses fell off his nose.

Again, he let a huntress become a victim of the assassin Marcus Black. First, it was Summer, who was so adamant and determined to turn Marcus back to the light that even he began to believe that there was still hope for him yet. Only to be told by a crying Qrow and Taiyang that she'd been killed. A pierce wound through the heart, ending her life quickly. He was there when she was buried, and to the request of her family, her funeral was not held public. Not even that long ago that month, another huntress fell to his hand, this time a young girl. There weren't a lot of things that made him… Ozma… actually feel something. But he felt an intense sadness and anger at the sight of Marcus Black standing over Blake's body. Even his magic returned to him, and he was ready to kill the man right then and there, only to let him getaway.

Salem got to him, and that made it all the worse. Because of his mistakes, he lost cuntless huntsman and huntresses and now Salem has control over him, the dangerous man that he was.

He should have never allowed Summer to convince him not to send huntsman after him after the letter that was left behind. He was an assassin, trained not to feel but to kill, and just that. There was no conversing, no negotiating, with a _thing _like that. It needed to be eliminated as a threat once and for all. If he wasn't the damn headmaster, he'd go after the man himself and rectify his mistake.

But he could do nothing, at least not yet. Though a small part of him hoped that the Ace Ops failed so that he had a reason to go after the man personally, he couldn't. Beacon needed him. Emotions couldn't impede his direction. Logic is the true path to take here, for the good of everyone.

"No more," He told himself, the world, the Gods, and the man who would soon be dead. "No more mistakes. I don't know how many more I will be able to force myself to forget."

* * *

Emerald swore as she darted down the hall in order to avoid the people who had just left the elevator, the Ace Ops, they really came. She sprinted to the stairs and jumped down each step and made it to the bottom within two short minutes. She was slick with sweat and cursed heavily as she assured herself that she was in the clear, and started walking calmly as to put on a show that she was simply running for exercise instead of sprinting for potentially her life to the people around her to look at her strangely. They ultimately didn't think any of it, and Emerald grabbed her scroll and typed in a number she memorized quickly.

"_Report," _Cinder's voice demanded.

"Ironwood and his Ace Ops are here," Emerald said after a heave. "The bug from the virus Marcus planted got to Ozpin's computer, I just needed to get closer to the room for it to actually work."

"_And what did you hear?" _

"They're sending the Ace Ops after Marcus, they want to kill him. Any means necessary," Emerald smiled, proud of herself for being able to be of use to Cinder. "Even going as far as to wear full-body suits that self-destruct if he became able to steal their semblances. It's crazy how far that little lie went, they are pinning everything that we did on him."

"_Amusing as it may be, do not let that fact make you complacent. Such can change very quickly if either of us are caught in a lie, and nowadays people are dying like flies…"_

"Yes mam," Emerald swallowed nervously, taking the woman's advice immediately. "I'll tell Marcus about it after I am done talking to you, he's on his way to Mount Glenn and it would be bad if he was ambushed-"

"_Emerald," _With just her name being uttered, Emerald clicked her mouth shut and stared submissively into Cinder's yellow-orange eyes. "_Marcus will be completely fine on his own I'm sure, even if his guard is down at the time of an ambush. As long as completes his mission, Ozpin, Ironwood, and their Ace Op's are welcome to go ahead and capture him for all I care."_

Emerald found herself confused, surprised even. Cinder was the greatest supporter of Marcus. The best defender. She even specifically sought him out while she was just someone she picked up along the way because of her semblance. So much trouble she went through just for him, and all their flirting and battles of wits was enough to make her barf at time. Yet so suddenly, she was turning her back on him? After everything he's done for them? Marcus was not a friend of hers and he actually annoyed her quite a lot, but even then she found herself to at least put a good word in for him. As annoying as he was, he did save her life and even gave her a free ticket into Beacon much earlier than any of them expected.

"Why?" She asked after gathering up the courage to question Cinder.

Cinder stared back, unamused. "_Questioning me Emerald? I shall let it go this one time, and only because I can understand any confusion." _Emerald breathed a sigh of relief. "_Tell me, do you think that even for a moment Marcus Black wouldn't stab us in the back if it meant gaining his freedom?"_

Emerald opened her mouth yet nothing came out, she knew the answer.

"_He would. That is everything he ever wants. Freedom. And with us and under out Queen, he will now never truly be free, and he knows that. Which means just one thing, he will eventually turn on us. Either years from now or even this very hour. I tried so very hard, oh I did…" _Cinder managed to actually hold some genuine guilt in her voice as she said that. "_But I cannot simply hold faith that he will be the man I want him to be. A shame, he and I would have made for a great pair."_

"So… do we have to kill him or…"

"_Hah!" _Cinder barked with laughter. "_If I ever order you to try and kill that man I may as well be killing you myself. No Emerald, he is not to be killed. If he decides to keep working for us than I shall see that his service does not come to a conclusion. As long as we need him, I will go out of my way to ensure his service continues. But after that… well, that would be his choice to make."_

"I understand…" Emerald said as she bit her lower lip. She took no sides in this one, she thought it was a little unfair, and whatever happened she would take Cinder's side in the end because of everything she did for her, but it was hard not to look at Marcu's situation and not feel even a little bad for him. He really would never get his freedom. If it was possible before, it wasn't now.

"_I am happy to hear that," _Cinder smiled at her through the scroll. "_Now go, I hear that the newly named Team RYS are in desperate need of friendship, and their closest sister team are on their way to a mission. Do make sure that you attain their trust, that is your top priority as of now."_

"Yes, mam." Emerald nodded her head submissively, as a dog would its master.

She sighed when Cinder hung the phone up on her as she always did when a conversation of theirs came to an end. It was strange, even she had to admit it. Cinder wasn't the typical woman, that much was clear after a single conversation with her, but this was a new reach for her that not even Emerald knew about. She could have sworn there was a kind of sick interest that Cinder had for Marcus, that she wanted him in more ways than what she was willing to think about in her mind. Only for Cinder to up and go admitting to her that she would drop him at the drop of a hat, even after he saved her life once before against the previous fall maiden. If it weren't for him, a lot of things that they achieved would have taken much longer. She had to feel like she owed him, at least for a time.

Not long enough it seemed. Emerald hesitated as she scrolled down the list and found Marcus' contact information. Growing up on the streets, it was a known rule to pay back the favors you owe, and to collect on those favors as well. She owed Marcus a favour after saving her life against that weird assassin Cobi, and again for getting her into Beacon so quickly. A favor, her troubled mind told her.

With a quick sigh through her nose, she managed to find a way to play both sides.

"_Marcus, be wary of the ace card and make sure you continue to impress…"_

Favor delivered, it was up to him now to actually understand her hint once it reached him via scroll.

Her eyes narrowed as she got her response.

_"?"_

Men were so stupid, she swore.

* * *

Mount Glenn… It was still as destroyed as the last time he saw it. It took a few hours to get here and they arrived a few days ago, but he and Roman made the mutual decision to stay above ground for as long as possible. Unfortunately, they couldn't stay up there forever. The White Fang's work apparently needed to be done underground in the very tunnels that changed both men. In their eyes, for the good. In the eyes of the world, to true evil. In those tunnels, Marcus lost the only family he ever truly had. His brother Maddox, a boy who was too good to become an assassin. And their other teammate, whose name Marcus has committed himself to forget over the years, was torn apart by Grimm right in front of them. She was unconscious at the time, but no one really knew if one could feel while they were unconscious. They both died a terrible fate, and even though the tunnels of Glenn were supposed to be defended for the civilians to escape, the council gave authorization to bomb the entire tunnel.

Marcus stood where he once stood two decades ago. The skeletons and remains of the bodies that were left behind after the tunnels collapsed were still there, which of course included his brother and lost teammate. It wasn't a coincidence that he and Roman found themselves returning to the scene of their changing, they sought it out after all. The remembered the tunnels, the scenery, the signs, and the places were every claw scratch mark was carved into the concrete walls.

He remembered Roman pulling him away from the battle even as their teammates were slaughtered. The explosion happened right under his legs, so he lost them the very moment the tunnels were collapsed. His brother was less fortunate, getting his entire lower body trapped under rubble while their last teammate was knocked out from the blast and shattered her aura. Not even their other comrades, STRQ, and all the other noteworthy teams of huntsman of that era were able to help them. They were too busy trying to retreat and get away from the horrors of the world that decided to rain chaos, literally, right on top of their heads.

"This is where I became the mastermind criminal." Roman sniggered as he looked into the massive pile of rubble ahead of them. "Where I saved your ass from ending up like the rest of our team."

"Hm…" Marcus hummed, too engulfed in the nostalgic scene before him to properly register his words.

"Does this mean I'm also to thank for your master assassin status?" Roman asked with a snort. "Do I get a cut of your rewards then? I'm pretty sure you owe me what… a few thousand lien? More?"

"That's not how it works," Marcus replied. "But… thank you, for saving me back then."

Roman widened his eyes for a moment but calmed down just as quickly. He let out a quiet huff and shook his head. Marcus never thanked him for anything, even back in the days where they were both huntsman. To hear it now… well, he hadn't felt true happiness in a long time. Which only meant one thing. "Is this going to be where the other half of Team Mobster dies?"

Marcus didn't answer, not at first. His eyes looked at them through the corner of them, and while his hands were in his pockets, Roman knew that look.

"Depends," Marcus said honestly, then gestured a thumb behind himself in a general direction. "You've been having Neo tailing us ever since we left that train. Is this where you start your little rebellion against Cinder?"

"Hah!" Roman barked with laughter, making Marcus narrow his eyes even further. "Neo's not here to ambush you, and honestly I don't know if we could even beat you together and with the element of surprise. I know you, Mark, even if you constantly claim that you are different from before, I know that you knew Neo was there the entire time."

Unsurprisingly, Neo came out of her semblance before them, arms crossed and a neutral expression on her face.

"But, I also know that you wouldn't kill me-" Roman cut himself off as a blade found it's way to his neck in the blink of an eye, his aura stopped the blade from actually cutting his skin, but the message was clear.

"You so sure about that?"

"Eh, it's about 50-50," Roman gasped and waved a hand toward Neo, who stopped herself from attacking. Her own blade was mere inches away from Marcus's neck, but he knew that she wasn't going to go through with it if Roman didn't want her to. "Y' see… a little organization tried to pay me to kill you."

Marcus growled under his breath.

"Believe me so easily? Wow… looks like their even worse employers than Cinder." Roman choked on his words but continued to look smug even in the face of his potential death. "How about that? They want you to kill me, and me to kill you. You think whoever wins gets bonus pay or something."

"They've wanted me dead for a long time," Marcus said as he dragged his knife back, cutting into Roman's aura but not cutting him. "It sounds like something they'd do. Let me guess, I'm taking too long with my little list?"

"Right on the money there," Roman said as he rubbed his neck. "See Neo? Told you we can talk to him."

"Explain. Only chance you're getting."

"Well, for one I know you've had plenty of chances killing me before now." Roman started. "When I took care of you and was sleeping beside you, just before after you skydived from the tower, on the bullhead ride on the way here. Hell… just about every moment where it was just you and me in a room together."

"..."

"Silent all of a sudden? You know I'm right man, I'm sure you _can _kill me if you really wanted you, and I'm sure you'd be able to get over it quickly. But you know what I say? Fuck. That. Why do you think I sent Neo to hang out with you in that cave so many times? No offense honey, but I wanted to see if you would take the chance to kill her while you had the chance." If anything, Neo looked impressed with Roman. No offense was taken.

"Why take that chance?" Marcus found himself asking.

"Because we have the same goal in mind." Roman continued.

"And that is?"

"Freedom."

"Mm…"

"With you, it's easy." Roman chuckled. "You've been fighting your whole life, killing your whole life, listening to others your whole life. You just want to take it easy and retire, don't you? Well, I think we both know that once our usefulness to dear Cindy runs out, we're as good as dead."

"You maybe," Marcus crossed his arms. "She expressed to me multiple times that she wants me, in more ways than one…"

"And how do you think she managed to snag me up so quickly?" Roman countered. "'Work with me Roman, and you will get everything you ever imagined of.' Bah, bullshit that was. Can't believe I let her wind me up nice and tight around her thumb. Can't believe the same shit got you too."

"I saved her life…" Marcus weakly said in his or her own defense.

"Yeah?" Roman quirked. "You're smarter than me Mark, tell me that you genuinely believe that she wouldn't just toss you away like an empty pack of gum once your taste becomes numb. Like that weird feeling of chewing rubber until you get sick of it and spit it out." The criminal took off his hat, making himself look all the more like his younger self years ago. "If you really do believe in her, I'll let you kill me right here and now. Take my hat and bring it to her. Since she likes you so much she might even believe whatever lies you tell her."

"I…" Marcus didn't. Neo took on a strange expression, almost like she was conflicted herself. She expressed what he felt. Because deep down, he knew that being free at this point wasn't really that possible. He tried that route once, and look how it ended. His wife murdered, his son killed by his own hand. Even if he tried again alone, dyed his hair and give himself a new name. He'd always be hunted, and at this point, it would be by _both _sides of this stupid war he tried getting away from. Salem and Ozpin would be on his ass the entire time, and both sides would want to kill him.

His inaction was as much answer as Roman needed. He visibly took a deep sigh of relief and returned his hat to his head. Neo skipped up and patted Marcus on the back and winked at Roman before she disappeared with her semblance once again.

"And like that, the seed is planted," Roman said with a nervous chuckle. "I don't expect you to accept it quickly. You were always a slow thinker when it came to anything that isn't fighting. So I'll let you decide. Wanna become like them?" He pointed to the skeletal remains of their dead teammates. "Or do you wanna live for just a little while longer just to spite destiny?"

Marcus' hair covered his eyes as he looked away from the criminal. Returning his weapon to its holster and making it clear that he wasn't going to fight them unless provoked.

"Think about it, because I'm pretty sure time is running out." Roman lit a cigar and smoked it. "See ya' around, and if you decide that you're going to kill me. Make it quick, please. I'd like to think our old friendship is still a thing today."

Marcus continued to stand in that tunnel as his thoughts raced from one thing to another. A choice had to be made, Roman told him something he already knew. He always knew, he just chose to ignore it and see how things went. Between the organization, Salem, and Ozpin, he never really had good choices to make. Never really had any decent options.

That was his destiny, as he imagined Cinder would put it. But how long as that destiny going to remain the same.

And if he even had a choice, could his destiny be changed at this point?

So many questions had been opened to him, and very little answers. Answers he'd have to find himself, and this time they wouldn't be so multiple choice.

* * *

**Saved the last scene of this chapter for the beginning of the next chapter. I got everything down that I wanted to get down this chapter. But to clear some things up, Team JNPR will be the ones going to Glenn as stated earlier by Ozpin. Instead of Oobleck, Qrow and Winter will be the ones taking them. So you all know what that means! No seriously, you'll have to figure it out yourself. No more hints from me this time. Though I am willing to hear some of the theories you all have to share in the reviews.**

**Please review let me know what you think!**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	20. Chapter 20

**So, I have a plan now. A plan that is very planned. The deal is this; After this chapter, I am going to do one more for one of my other stories, and then focus solely on this story for the next month or so. My goal is with this is to finish this story as soon as possible, and the reason why I want this story finished so fast like this is because I will be going back to college very soon, and working full-time as I now will make it very difficult to continue writing four stories and three chapters a week. I would miss time, get stresses, get burned out, and none of us want that. **

**As a result, prepare yourself, because if all goes well I'll be able to write and post 3-4 chapters a week of this story. I did the math, and if this is the case then I will be able to finish the story within 3-4 weeks, maybe sooner if I am EXTRA fast. **

**Pray for my Beta, CrowSkull, because he is going to have a lot of words to work through pretty soon.**

* * *

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 20**

* * *

_One thing after another… Ack… Fucking tunnels…_

Qrow let out a loud huff right before he reached into his shirt and pulled out his signature flask, ignoring the glare he received from Winter beside him, who stood with her arms crossed and her usual expression plastered across her features. Once she was content with the insignificant damage it caused, they both looked at and made their guesses on how the team of teenage huntsman and huntresses in training under their care would manage during their first training mission.

First and foremost, the most obvious among them was the red-headed Pyrrha Nikos, who was easily the strongest out of all of them. She was the champion of Mistral for a reason, and Qrow was forced to watch a lot of her fights thanks to Winter's constant bitching about it. The reason for it was so he understood how exactly the girl fought, but he was a good judge of that department himself coming from a tribe of bandit warriors. Someone who was born and raised there sorta moved out with the sense of being able to tell who was strong and who was weak, and for her age, she was decently strong. Not as strong as he or Raven was at that age, but enough to impress him.

The rest of her teammates however… not so much.

Like the scraggily blonde dangly kid, for example, Jaune Arc. The last name brought an eyebrow raise from the old huntsman, but the moment he laid eyes on him he instantly knew that he was the weakest of the bunch. He had a simple sword and shield, and he barely looked like he knew how to use them. His muscles weren't nearly as hard or toned as his other teammates, and he was green. Too Green. Only one solo Grimm kill to his name apparently. He was definitely the weakest link that he would have to keep an eye on, such a pain.

Then there was the other two, Ren and Nora. They were decent enough, he supposed. Though at first glance he could have sworn that the Ren kid was a girl. He looked like he could handle himself at least, and nowadays that was just enough to get by. The shorter ginger girl beside him, however, was built like a truck. Strong, really strong, probably even more so than Pyrrha. But, he could tell that she relied on that strength a little too much. Honestly, if she wasn't so bubbly and excited to see fully a fully trained huntsman and huntress, she would remind him of his dear older sister. Despite that, he could work with her. Hell, he was a teacher at Signal for a few years before he was called in for more missions by Ozpin. He was sure he could handle this.

If it was a normal mission, that is.

"Greetings, Team JNPR." Winter began. "My name is Winter Schnee, and this is Qrow Branwen," Qrow waved to them with two fingers as he finished the rest of his drink. "We will be your escorting huntsman for this training mission. I apologize that this change of leadership is on such short notice."

"Ah, don't worry about it," the leader of the team, Jaune said with a polite smile. "Two is better than one, right?"

"Yeah, and I heard that it was going to be Oobleck coming with us," Nora shivered. It was no surprise that she wouldn't have liked that, Doctor Oobleck made it impossible for her to sleep in his class, and every time she did so she would get extra homework. Needless to say, Ren had to help her with a lot of extra homework. "I prefer this pair."

"Are you perhaps related to Weiss?" Ren asked curiously.

"I am," Winter confirmed. "Though my relation to my sister shall not arise problems, will it?"

"No mam," Ren assured her, as did his three other teammates.

"Good."

Awkward silence filled the void, everyone knew what the heiress of the SDC was going through at the moment. She was still recovering from the loss of her teammate along with the rest of Team RYS. In fact, none of them have been seen by their peers for several days, and the last time they came out of their rooms was when the headmaster called them up to his office to inform them of some things that occurred because of Blake's death. After that, they simply returned and haven't left their room since. The only visitors they got were from some professors and apparently Ruby and Yang's dad, along with the red-eyed man before them and even the Specialist from Atlas. They were all wise not to continue on that topic, speaking of it wouldn't do anyone any good.

"I'm expecting good things from you champion girl," Qrow broke the silence as he put away his flask. Pyrrha perked up and looked at him attentively. "Make sure you don't disappoint me, I hate being disappointed."

"Of course, sir." Pyrrha nodded her head with determination.

"And you," Jaune perked up next and stood much straighter than he really needed to. "Don't hold us back."

Jaune sagged but nodded his head. He knew he was weak, stronger than most now thanks to Pyrrha's training and his large reserves of aura, but compared to everyone around him at that moment, he might as well be a pool noodle. From the corner of his eye, he caught the glares that lasted less than a second coming from the other three kids, and he ignored them with practiced ease. He was honest when he needed to be, and even when he didn't need to. Besides, it wasn't like he was wrong when it came to the Arc's skills and strengths.

"The mission is just as you were told briefed on before," Winter continued. "A Search and destroy objective. As a team, we will all take a Bullhead to the ruins of Mount Glenn, where we will hunt down and churn the numbers of Grimm. As well as lookout for any suspicious activity such as trespassers, rouge huntsman, and terrorist activity. It is unlikely that we will come across them during this mission, but there is always a possibility."

None of them pointed out the fact that they were being sent there for that specific purpose. Qrow had to stop himself for snorting, there wasn't just a _possibility_, it was more of a matter of a time. Thanks to the research of Yang's deceased partner that was found hidden in her dorm, she was revealed to be an ex-member of the White Fang and was actively trying to thwart them at every turn. Amidst her research in one of her notebooks, there was a picture of Glenn torn out of an old newspaper back in the day when it wasn't overrun by Grimm, and it was circled in a red pen with the words '_Hidden base located here?' _written underneath it.

It was a guess and maybe it wasn't the best idea to listen to the theories of an ex-terrorist. But it was all they had. Ever since the CCT was attacked and Blake was killed, they heard nothing from Vale. No White Fang attacks, no robberies, no assassinations, and no Marcus Black. Absolutely. Nothing. That was obviously concerning for the council and Ozpin, and sending a full team of huntsman to Glenn might as well be screaming to their enemies that they at least had an idea of what they were planning, so they had to disguise it as a simple training mission. It wasn't unheard of that some huntsmen in training took on training missions to the ruins of Mountain Glenn, and Beacon was (Mostly)separate from the power of Vale. This was an temporarily an off the record mission, and there was only so much time before the information and details about the mission had to go public throughout the school, and who knows who may be looking at that information…

It was the best they got, and the second-best first-year team that was qualified to take it was Team JNPR. To make things more difficult, they could only send two fully trained huntsman with them at a time due to stupid policy rules. Honestly, they were lucky enough to even get Winter the okay to go on the mission due to her being Atlesian, but it was still annoying to Qrow. Stupid rules, he could just fly over there and check if there was anything going on, report back, and send the damn Ace Ops there if he found anything. They didn't have to take this stupid risk, but Ozpin insisted on it. To be fair they may not have enough time to organize and send a full team over there, and like he already knew, the mission would have to be public. An Atlesian squad of military-trained Specialists conducting a mission in Valean territory wouldn't go unnoticed, and they could only be hidden for so long.

"-Do you all understand?"

"Yes!"

Qrow snapped himself out of his train of thought as he heard Winter's last few words. He dozed out while she was going more in-depth about the training mission they were about to go on. Team JNPR all saluted them, ranging from most proper to most improvised postures. Qrow grumbled and turned around to get onto the Bullhead waiting for them to take them to Glenn.

Winter followed shortly as did the four members of Team JNPR. He stood out in the corner and committed himself to staring out the window while Winter strapped herself in a seat. He didn't really need to strap himself in, because he could just turn into a bird and fly off if the Bullhead was shot down. It would have sucked for the others in the Bullhead with him, but he'd rather be in healthy shape to help them rather than sticking in there and getting hurt or potentially dying with them.

"Er, Mister Brawnen?"

Oh, great, Qrow lazily turned to the blonde kid as his red-head partner strapped him in for him like she was his mother. Geez. "Just call me Qrow, none of that 'Mister' Bullshit."

"S-sure," Jaune stammered. "Qrow, how is Ruby and them? Are they okay after… after what happened?"

Qrow softened his glare as he suddenly remembered Ruby mentioning that Jaune was her best friend, he never met him but remembered that he wanted to some time after she told him about him. If only they were in different circumstances, maybe he wouldn't be so afraid and nervous around him right now. He didn't imagine he was giving off a positive vibe at the moment with how grumpy he was. And who could blame him? For several days straight he had to comfort Ruby and Yang who constantly cried about their lost teammate. They cried into his chest, arms, shoulder, and it happened so much that he actually had to go out and buy a new shirt so he didn't look too much like shit for this mission Ozpin suddenly sprung on him. It hasn't been a good few weeks, all with Marcus being back and everything that was related to him.

The girls shouldn't have had to deal with the pain of losing a teammate… not this early. He and Tai knew exactly how it felt, and it was only a matter of time until it reopened old wounds that resulted from Summer's death.

"As okay as you can imagine," Qrow said with a sigh, he didn't want to lie to the kid. It was pointless to do so, the girls haven't left their room in days and lying for his sake wasn't going to do anything good. "Just... keep being a friend to them and they'll get better soon. That's all you can do. That's all _any_ of you can do." He explained when he noticed Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha all paying attention to him with eagerness in their eyes. They all wanted to see their friends get better, and his grouchiness faded away at that realization. After this, he'd apologize for being pretty shit at his job in the beginning.

"We're ready to go," Winter radioed to the pilot after everyone got settled in.

The pilot got the permission he needed to shut the shuttle doors and begin hovering into the air. Rising higher and higher before they reached the necessary altitude in order to fly freely through the air and go forth on the route toward Mount Glenn. As he did so, Winter and Qrow gave each other a look, and then decided that it was time. Now that they were off Beacon grounds in a secure ship, they could speak freely.

"Listen to me, all of you." Qrow began this time. "If there is an enemy that you can't fight on your own, or if you feel like you're about to be overrun, retreat. Feeling shameful for running away from a fight is better than staying and dying in one. Especially if you're up against someone better than you." He looked to Pyrrha. "Even you champ, no matter how good you think you are, there is always someone stronger."

"Of course, sir." Pyrrha nodded her head with understanding. She gripped the straps of her seat tightly, suddenly more on edge than before.

"As you've all been told," Winter continued. "Due to Blake Belladonna's research, we have a plausible suspicion that there is White Fang activity or potentially a hidden base within Mount Glenn. Because of this, a certain man may also be present within the lost city."

"Marcus Black…" Ren said out loud. He and the rest of his team shivered at the mention of the name. He has become a sort of infamous figure among the student body of Beacon. No one said his name while feeling any positive emotions.

"Correct," Winter confirmed.

"If things were ideal, we would have sent an entire raid force of fully trained huntsman and specialists here instead of just us. Because of stupid politics and rules however, we are going to be the first scout and strike force." Qrow explained. "So listen here and listen closely, I know I already said it before, but while the White Fang are pretty much fodder, Marcus isn't. If you see a white-haired man with a red shirt, do not even attempt to fight him. Notify me or Winter here, and we'll take care of him."

"In the case that there is no other option," Winter went on. "Do not let him touch you, as you know through Miss Ruby Rose, he will steal your semblance if you give him the chance. Now, how many of you have unlocked your semblance?"

Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha raised their hands.

Qrow cursed under his breath. Of course, the only one who hasn't so far would be Jaune.

"If possible, do not engage." Winter continued. "If you have to, hold out as long as you can and send word to us."

Jaune, being the leader of the team, voiced his understanding of the terms. Qrow had to stop himself from scoffing. This was a bad idea, he just knew it was. Honestly, he was scared. Not for his or Winter's sake, but for the sake of the kids that they were responsible for taking care of. One wrong move, one wrong call or just one wrong step down the wrong dark alley, and any of them could be killed or have their semblances stolen at the very least. They knew that Marcus was already willing to kill kids if he had to, so none of them were safe from his wrath.

They could go over the rules and warnings as much as they wanted, but no plan survived contact with the enemy. The White Fang shouldn't be that much of an issue, it was who they were working with that would, that was the only ray of hope throughout this whole endeavor. That they _might _not even have to worry about half the problem.

Qrow looked out the window as Winter continued speaking to the team, getting to know them, their strengths and weaknesses. He listened absentmindedly and they seemed to agree to leave him alone for the time being. He couldn't allow himself to go close to them, if he did and they were killed? He probably would have quit being a huntsman because of it.

One week, that was all they had to do they last down there. Just one week.

A large part of him really hoped that they were wrong, that it was just going to be a simple search and destroy mission that only involved Grimm. Grimm were easy, they didn't think and they just ran at you and weren't hard to take down. People were harder, they could think, plan, strategize, and lure you into a trap that not even the strongest huntsman could survive, and then there was Marcus Black. Who would kill you without you even knowing he was behind you for the past twenty minutes, just waiting for you to let your guard down for just a second so he could capitalize and end your life.

Another part of him wanted to stop that, a much smaller, honest, and logical part of him.

And one more, the last part of him wondered.

Could he?

* * *

Ozpin, General James Ironwood, and Glynda Goodwitch all stood together in a semi-circle a few feet away from a pod of sorts, a pod that contained and kept alive a woman who held unimaginable power, or what was left of it anyway. Amber was still in the same state she has been in for over a year. Comatose, practically braindead, and her heart barely beating just enough so that blood was able to circulate across her body. She was thing, depressingly so. If it wasn't for the nutrients that were in the liquid keeping her body sustained, she would have starved or died of dehydration months ago.

It was no state for any person to be in, and if she wasn't the fall maiden, Ozpin would have let her pass away in peace. Unfortunately, he couldn't take that risk at the moment.

"No improvements?" Ironwood asked, staring emotionlessly at the comatose maiden.

"None," Ozpin told him. "None, over the last year. I fear that she will never wake up."

"Is the machine ready for the transfer process?" Glynda asked the obvious question that went through all of their minds.

"It is," Ironwood ran his hand over a nearby terminal and looked at the diagnostics. "Everything is green and ready to go, all we need now is a new host for power, preferably someone who won't be as rebellious as she was."

"I wasn't going to imprison her, James," Ozpin said sharply, the General took the hint and refused to say anything more. Amber was a huntress before she was a maiden, and Ozpin knew her personally. Graduating from Mistral, she was a traveler more than anything else. She loved to see new things, meet new people, and slay Grimm while she was at it. Ozpin met her before she was the maiden because she was there for a mission and had to report to him for duty. Little did either of them know that the previous fall maiden would die due to a catastrophic and very rare virus, and Amber would be the one woman unfortunate enough to receive the powers at random. After that, Ozpin was forced to tell her of the situation and explain to her what her powers were, tell her of the factual fairy tales and about Salem.

She took it better than most, and understood her sudden new role in the world of Remnant. She was still a huntress, but she was also the fall maiden. Amber didn't want to let her new role force her into becoming a prisoner of Vale, and Ozpin wasn't going to force her to stay. So he let her roam free, and after some time, he enlisted the help of a certain crow to keep an eye on her. Years passed, a decade or two at least, until Amber was attacked and defeated. Getting half of her magic stolen and for Qrow to arrive only just in time in order to save her before she was killed. That was when Marcus Black made his next appearance after two decades, it was to take down a maiden, and he succeeded.

However, there were two other people with him. Qrow couldn't see who they were because of some kind of semblance, but there were definitely two others. For a man could not hope to wield the magic of a maiden, there had to be someone who helped him.

That was who they were afraid of. The women who helped Marcus defeat and nearly murder Amber. There was an evil person with half the powers of a maiden in her, and she has yet to make an appearance as of now. They had absolutely _no idea _who she was, what her motives are, or what she is doing. All they know is that she is working with Marcus Black, and by extension, Salem.

"We need to find a candidate," Ironwood continued. "We have to, we don't have time to wait for her to wake up anymore. Not with Marcus and his allies in Vale, too much is at stake."

"Could I take on the powers?" Glynda asked.

"You cannot," Ozpin said with a sigh. "You are too old Glynda, I am sorry. A woman must be under the age of thirty in order to receive the powers at all."

"I understand that," Glynda was thirty-eight, much over the limit. But, she felt that there was still hope. "But this machine that James has had built, is there not some way that we can… _force _it into me?"

"I would not advise such a thing," Ironwood said with an angry grimace, not at her, but because of the rules. "We don't know what kind of effect it would have on you, it could be beneficial or it would kill you in a very painful way. And if it were to fail, then her power would go to whoever stole part of it in the first place. The risks heavily outweigh the benefits in this situation."

"James is right," Ozpin agreed with the General. "I am sorry Glynda, but we cannot risk it. Though I thank you for volunteering, If there was a way to change the rules, I would have done so already."

"I understand…" Glynda said with a sad look to her face. "It's just… a student? I don't know if it's a good idea to force the issue onto one so young, it's stealing away what life they have left."

"It's all we can do," Ozpin said, he looked tired, resigned. He's been doing this for ages, jumping from one body to the other, some young and some old, stealing away what life they have left and soon stealing their mind and body as well. It wasn't the same with the maidens, but similar. This was simply the first time he was able to pick and choose who the power went to.

"I don't mean to rush the issue, but do you have any in mind?" Ironwood asked. "We are running out of time and I repeat, Marcus and his allies will not wait for us to be fully prepared for whatever it is they are planning."

Ozpin remained silent for a few moments. He did have some ideas, but most were not the best candidates. He thought of Ruby Rose first, because of her silver eyes having the power of the fall maiden with her on top of that would make her nearly unstoppable in battle. However, she was unstable at the moment and doesn't trust him. Not to mention Qrow and Taiyang would have something to say about it if he did go for her. The same went for Yang Xiao Long, and Weiss Schnee was out of the picture due to her current state and ties to the SDC. He couldn't keep her here and under his watch when she was going to have an entire business to run.

There was also Coco Adel, or Velvet Scarlintina, but they weren't even from Vale. Coco hailed from Mistral and Velvet from Vacuo. After graduating, he knows that they have plans to not stay in Vale forever. He couldn't have another Amber on his hands, and they would rebel if he pushed the issue. Transfer students were also out of the question, for they were only in Vale temporarily. No, he needed someone who was definitely going to stay in Vale, and would listen to him. Someone kind and soft, like the original four women of whom he split his power for in the very beginning of fifth live as the lonely wizard in the woods.

"Once Team JNPR returns from their mission, Pyrrha Nikos will gain the maiden power," Ozpin said with a determined nod. "She is kind, polite, and submissive to authority. Quite frankly, I can control her if needs be and she will accept the offer it if meant protecting the ones she cares for."

"Hm." Ironwood hummed in quiet agreement. Glynda remained silent, she didn't like it, but she knew it had to be done. "Doesn't she hail from Mistral?"

"She does, but it is quite clear that she does not wish to return there, at least not for a few years." Ozpin continued. "Strong for her age, a good personality match, easy to control and will stay in Beacon for the next four years to become a huntress. I think she is the best choice."

"And I agree," Ironwood said with a nod. "I would have offered one of the members of the Ace Ops, but none of the women are younger than thirty years old, other than them. I do believe you have picked the correct choice."

"Is this your final choice?" Glynda asked the headmaster.

"Do we have time to consider others?" Ozpin countered. Glynda shook her head sadly.

"Pyrrha Nikos it is," Ironwood said when none of them made to object. "As soon as she returns, we will make the offer to her. Are we in agreement?"

"Aye," Ozpin nodded his head.

"..." Glynda bit her lip nervously, trying to think of any other way or any other candidate, but her thoughts failed her. "Aye…" She hesitantly agreed.

"Good," Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground twice, like a judge when they considered a case dismissed.

"Now that we have that settled," Ironwood stepped away from the terminal after doing some more minor calibrations to make it just a little more comfortable for that comatose maiden. "What are we going to do about this rouge maiden?"

"When the time comes, we have to hunt her down," Ozpin said in an irritated tone. Not at any of them, but for the fact that someone dared to develop a technique to steal the powers of a maiden. He hated it, he created the maidens so that they would help people, not so he had to make sure that they wouldn't hurt people. It was a wonder now how nothing has come up about this rouge maiden so far. "In the meantime, however, we can only deal with what we know is a problem. Keep your Ace Ops ready, we don't know when that time will come."

"I will," Ironwood said with a nod.

That was all they could do, prepare. Ozpin felt frustrated, he really could do nothing in this situation, he had nothing he could go off of and he was angry with himself for being as strong as he was and still not able to do anything to protect the kingdoms and people he has spent so much time making sure we're guided well enough to reach this point in the first place. Salem always found a way to undercut him somehow, and in this generation, that undercut was Marcus Black and this rouge maiden.

She wouldn't win, not this generation. He knew that someday somehow she would eventually win, he couldn't hold her back forever and she was always getting stronger, but not now, not when he was going to be able to build the strongest defense force he could in the past few generations. No matter what, he wouldn't let her win. No matter what it takes.

Perhaps he's been too kind as of late. His kindness leads to the birth of the maidens, to allowing Summer Rose to try and redeem her friend, allowing Amber to roam free, and to allowing Raven Branwen to abandon his cause and betray them. Mistake after mistake, he was getting sick of it.

Pyrrha Nikos would have to become the maiden, and he couldn't afford to give her the illusion of free choice. Apologies would be made later, this was for the greater good of Remnant as a whole.

* * *

"You,"

Marcus ignored the brute of the White Fang's call out and continued to sharpen his blade. He had enough on his mind, he wasn't going to waste energy allowing his mind to hear what the masked terrorist was saying.

"Don't ignore me, you fucking human," The towering White Fang lieutenant growled as he slammed a hand on the table before Marcus.

Marcus groaned and turned his head to face the brute.

"You're doing a really good job of getting yourself killed, you sure you want this?" He asked, bored with the entire situation as a whole.

"You bastard, you were the one who forced us into this, weren't you?" Bane asked him, his deep voice growing in anger and intensity as he continued to growl.

"Not really, that was more Cinder than me," Marcus said with a shrug.

"You nearly killed me and took my aura!" The lieutenant shouted.

"That's not how my semblance works dumbass." Marcus laughed darkly. They were drawing a crowd, good, the grunts could use a show of what would happen if they dared approach him. "I can only steal semblances that are unlocked, and you haven't unlocked your semblance. If anything, I just made you piss yourself in front of all your friends while you called for help like a little bitch."

Silence filled the air and the lieutenant seethed, he was about to shout at him more but Marcus had enough of hearing his voice. Bane was shoved against the wall and a blade was pushed up against his neck, his agonized scream was choked out as the edge of Marcus' knife pushed up against his neck and aura so hard that it was actually beginning to strangle him. That was part of how aura could be used against you, it could be your savior, or just make your suffering last longer.

"This is more like it," Marcus said as he reached up and slapped the mask off the man's face. "Fear in your eyes, just like that time a few months ago. I remember you now, you're the idiot that tried to attack me while we were making your leader submit to us. Right?" He pushed the blade deeper, Bane's aura snapped and a slow light trickle of blood flowed down his muscular chest and neck. Any deeper, and Marcus would cut through a major artery, killing the man. He was making this slow and painful, however, the serrations at the end of the knife were not making it feel any better for the larger man he was able to overpower so easily.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Roman called out to them as he noticed what was happening just in time. "Stop that! Come on Marcus this ain't worth it right now, just take it easy."

Marcus acknowledged Roman's words and leaned in deeper to make sure that Bane was hearing him. "Next time, the blade cuts deeper." He said as he slowly pulled his knife out. Bane reached up to his neck, stopping the blood from leaking out any further and then ran away from him. He wouldn't bleed out, but he was getting quite the scare and the other grunts around him were scrambling to try and get medical supplies for him. Marcus saw this and laughed cruelly, that was what he got for messing with him when he was already pissed off.

"Was that really necessary?" Roman asked with a huff as he finally reached him. "He's a lieutenant you know, answers to Adam directly."

"Who?" Marcus asked as he sat back down.

"Adam. Adam Taurus, the guy you and Cinder went to in order to force the White Fang into working with us?"

Marcus shrugged his shoulders. He heard the name before and definitely remembered a guy with red hair and black clothing, but he hasn't seen him since that time. Last he heard, he was somewhere in Vale. Other than that, he wasn't important to him anymore.

"Damn it," Roman sighed and shook his head. "C'mon, let's have a little chat. About time we have one since the last time we spoke."

Marcus huffed through his nose and stood. He followed the criminal throughout the train and noted what he was seeing. It was a miracle that they were able to get the train up and running again with all the repairs that they had to do, but what was strange was that a lot of the dust that they had captured at the docks was being stored in each train car. He also noticed some of the White Fang attaching devices in the compartments in the ceilings of the train cars. One in each.

It wasn't hard to figure out what they were after doing some investigating in his free time. They were bombs.

"I'm sure you figured out what we're going to be doing here in Glenn," Roman asked as they got into the final car, the one with the controls to move the entire train.

"I have an idea…" Marcus said as he kept his guard up. He hasn't seen spoken to Roman since their talk in the tunnels, and for a pretty good reason.

"Yeah, does that idea involve ramming the damn thing into Vale and blowing a hole for the Grimm to crawl through and kill people?" Roman asked.

Marcus was surprised by his brutal honesty, but to answer his question, yes, he did figure that much out on his own. It was easy enough, bombs, train, crates full of dust. These tunnels only lead to two places, to Glenn's subways, and Vale's subways. His guess was that they were going to blow some holes in Glenn to let the Grimm in and chase them, and then they were going to blow one big hole in Vale so that they can all wreak havoc.

He didn't know how Cinder expected him to survive that crash, and he knows for a fact that Vale shut down those tunnels years ago. There wasn't anywhere to go but stay in the train, and when it crashes, no amount of aura in the world would be able to save someone from that.

Which explained why she didn't explain to him the details of this mission. This was supposed to be a one-way mission, a mission that ended the lives of White Fang grunts who had nothing to lose, and to get rid of all the potential threats to her reign. If he managed to survive, great for her, she can keep using him, and if he died… well, that was just too bad.

"From that look in your eyes, I can tell you see the same thing." Roman continued as he sat on the conductor's seat. "This is a one-way mission, there isn't any getting out of it unless I suddenly unlock my immortality semblance that's been dormant all my life."

"Yeah…" Marcus had some ideas, very risky ideas, but they were there.

"On the bright side, if all goes well. Cinder gets everything she wants." Roman continued. "The power of the damn maiden, whatever relic she's been bitching about, and all the strength in the world. Which I guess can be the same thing as power." Roman laughed bitterly. "People like you and I aren't going to be needed anymore after this, and unless I am superbly wrong, which honestly I hope I am, this is Cinder's little gambit to try and take us out for good."

"Yeah? And what's stopping me from leaving the mountain now and getting out of here?"

"Nothing, I guess." Roman shrugged. "I can't stop you, and the only one in this entire city who even has a chance is Neo, and I don't even think she's enough to stop you. You could walk out right now and I wouldn't say anything."

"That's dangerous Roman," Marcus warned him. "You're being too submissive."

"Well, Cinder's not stupid either." Roman countered. "I'm pretty sure she's smart enough to know that you're smart enough to not get caught in a trap like this, and I know she knows I'm not stupid either."

Marcus was confused, he was right. "So why would she try this?"

"Fucking beats me," Roman said. "Nothing is stopping us from working together other than your stubbornness, so why does she think that we're going to get killed off from something so obvious like this?"

"Hm…" Marcus hummed, Roman was right. He was always the strongest member of their team back then and it looked like he has only gotten smarter since then. Cinder expressed multiple times that she was at least fond of him and needed him for a lot of things for her plan, but she also _didn't _need him as well. He just made things easier for her. Roman, he could understand, she didn't need him as she had all the dust she could ever have, and the White Fang was just her muscle. Why, why, why? That question echoed through his head countless times.

He was confused and needed to think about this. He knew Cinder as much as any other person did, but maybe in his case, it was a little more. He knew nothing about her past or what lead her to this point in her life, but there was a way for him to find out… The organization had many tools that could find out anything about anyone, he just needed to pay them a visit one of these days.

Before he could even consider to tell Roman about this decision, Neo faded into the room out of her semblance, she looked tired and was sweating. Not out of exhaustion, but out of panic.

"What is it?" Roman asked her.

In response, Neo held out her scroll, showing them a recording of a Bullhead with Beacon's symbol on the side of it. The two men cursed as it landed and they saw a team of huntsman and huntresses step out of the ship.

"Damn it, we're out of time." Roman hissed. "Neo, get the animals in gear and ready to go, it's only a matter of time until they find us."

Marcus might have refuted that if Qrow wasn't there, he wouldn't take a mission to train greenhorns unless it was his nieces. Which meant he was there for a reason, he was there for him and the White Fang.

"There's the catch," He whispered underneath his breath.

His knife shined in the light as he took it out. In Glenn, he had hundreds of areas where he could hide and take them out. All he had to do was wait for them by the only entrance into the Subway and hang around there. Before they knew it, he'd be able to take out at least a few of them or incapacitate them.

"Wait," Roman stopped him.

"What is it? There's no more time for you to try and convince me." He pointed out.

"I know, but I have an idea," Roman told him. "Go out there and kill even one of them, and they're going to know we're here. They'd retreat and come back with a damn army."

"I know that, but we can't just do nothing and wait for them to come here and find us."

"Yeah well I didn't say we were going to do that, did I?" Roman hissed. "Neo, make sure the animals get their thumbs out of their asses and you," He gestured to his old partner. "Don't kill them, yet. Keep an eye on them, but do only that. We don't need to start a fight when we don't have too, and where fights start, Grimm will come."

"Fine," Marcus sneered. Neo looked at the two of them with concern, but Roman waved her off to leave. Roman sighed and put his hands on his hips, looking at Marcus was a tired look in his eyes.

"You gotta make a choice soon buddy, I'm not going to pretend like I know everything but I'd like to think that we're still at least friends. And I look after my friends. You can do what you want, but after this joy ride, I'm outta here. It might be better if you're there with me."

"We'd be hunted," Marcus pointed out. Not just by huntsman and assassins, but by Grimm as well.

"We're already hunted," Roman scoffed. And with those parting words, left the assassin alone in the train car.

Again, he found himself with whirling emotions and conflicted thoughts. It was one thing after another, there were no breaks! The bullet hole in his shoulder stung with a phantom pain as he tensed. Everything was so confusing, Cinder, Salem, Ozpin. There was no right or wrong when it came to them, just different shades of evil.

No more thoughts, he cursed himself. He just had to get things done, it was what he was groomed to do, what he was trained to do. Killing and being an assassin were the only things he was good at in life, and that was all he was, a tool. No matter what anyone said-

_No_. The voice in his head returned. _It doesn't have to be_ _this way_.

And damn it, it was right.

* * *

**And there we go, I had to rush that last bit out but I made sure to check it before I posted it. Not much else to say here, but if you don't like this faster-paced storytelling then please let me know**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Here we are again guys, going to try and keep this going as part of my new plan. I've altered it a little bit so that at the very least each week there will be one chapter for this story, two if I am lucky. With that said, there really isn't that much else to say. Back to the story, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 21**

* * *

Jaune cut down a small Beowolf with reckless easy, under the careful watch of his champion partner Pyrrha and the supervision of Specialist Schnee he felt confident enough to take point. His partner, as usual, was much too polite to deny him this small pleasure, which was admittedly one of the best things about her. Aside from getting away from doing his homework, he could get away with a lot with her. Made him wonder sometimes, but he wasn't going to complain about it.

The Grimm in Glenn was much less dangerous than he'd thought they'd be. The reason for that was probably because there weren't any people here for them to go after but he knew that somewhere in these vast ruins there was going to be a Goliath somewhere. He already saw some on the ride here in between throwing up in the air toilet and being able to look out the window, and Glenn was a _really _big city, there had to be some really strong Grimm hidden around somewhere. And thankfully if there were, he had a championship fighter and a full-on huntress behind him to deal with it for him. After training with his partner he found what his limits were, and without help, strong Grimm would likely have a field day with him.

Ever since they landed it was going through a routine of things, it's been two days so far and at night they would have a watcher that would keep an eye out for Grimm while the others rested and in the morning they would break down camp, send out two groups of three, which usually consisted of him, Pyrrha and Winter and the other group consisting of Ren, Nora and Qrow. After the patrols were completed they would set up camp again after giving them instructions and little tests of their memory to see if they are remembering what they were being taught out there on the field and rinse and repeat. It was a constant cycle. Not necessarily a boring one because of the Grimm and new scenery, but one that Jaune quickly found himself getting used to.

"Great job Jaune!" Pyrrha cheered when Jaune slew another Grimm. Unbeknownst to him, she took out the rest of the pack but let her partner believe that it was just the one.

"Thanks!" He replied happily.

For them, this was a good distraction from everything happening back in Vale. With the White Fang and the white-haired guy running amok in the city a lot of the students were getting stressed out. Most of them had family in the city, some of them were even caught up in some of the robberies that were happening frequently. Others were faunus and in the same boat, and the racists and bigots like Cardin were keeping an eye on them afraid that they were going to use their teachings and join the White Fang. It was stupid and no faunus student even considered that, but it was something that got serious enough to the point that the professors had to start stepping in and shut down any racist comments and potential attacks.

It only got worse when Blake was killed, most of them still believe that she was human when she was found out to not only be a faunus but an ex-member of the White Fang. All under their noses too. It wasn't like she was friends with a whole lot of them, hell, not even the members of Team JNPR could even say that they knew her very well, but she was still one of their peers and a distant friend if any. Most of all, however, she was a student of Beacon and she tried to stop Marcus Black and died for it. For one of the first times, Jaune watched the news for hours, finally opening his eyes to everything that was happening in the world. Menagerie was apparently getting up in arms and downright excommunicated every member of the White Fang and forbid them from ever returning, apparently blaming them for Blake's death. The reason for that was because again, apparently, Blake was the daughter of the chieftain of the island kingdom.

It was a horrible surprise after horrible surprise if Jaune didn't already have time to process it he didn't know if he would have been able to really handle it. Thanks to his teammates and friends banding together to give everyone support, he was. The ones who needed it most was Team RYS, and he didn't know if they were ever going to be able to move on, even Ruby, his best friend, never seemed to be able to stop crying just yet.

Behind the blonde and his red-haired partner, Winter followed them and watched with an observant eye. The two of them were going to be okay, Qrow already scouted around earlier that morning and no serious threats of Grimm were spotted within thirty miles of where they camped, this was more of a lesson to the students than anything. However, just because Qrow didn't spot Grimm that didn't mean that something more dangerous than Grimm wasn't still skulking around somewhere.

This entire time she's felt like she was being watched, every broken window and every broken wall in the ruined buildings around her could potentially be housing a very dangerous assassin. The two students before he didn't stand a chance, not even Pyrrha Nikos. The way she was used to fighting was in a tournament like setting, and she has seen the way Marcus fights, both in person on the roof and in the footage of when he fought and slew Blake Belladonna. It would hardly be a contest. The champion might be able to hold her own for a few minutes, but she would not win that fight. He would pick her apart and destroy her if he fought her seriously.

And honestly, the specialist thought that if she was to fight him one on one, she wouldn't win either. After going through all the records she could find about Marcus Black, she read through countless concealed from public military information about all the times they tried to assassinate the assassin. Marcus was an expert and evading them, and in his prime, he was able to defeat entire squads at the same time. Not all at once of course, he could still be overwhelmed and there were moments that he was almost defeated before. But he used everything and anything to give himself an advantage. Whether it be stealing away someone's semblance or using the environment to his advantage. Such as fighting in a public area and using innocents as shields so his assailants wouldn't fire their ranged weapons, leading huntsman into Grimm and causing a three-way battle, and other times he was just too skilled to be taken down. To expand on that, there were actual official records that revealed that yes, he is a relative from way back in the past and connected directly Nicholas Schnee. Which confirmed that yes, they were very distant cousins.

She would never consider him as such obviously, but it was disturbing to know that even however slight it may be, they did share the same ancestor. It didn't stop him from assassinating many Schnee's and it wouldn't stop her from taking him down once and for all.

The plan was that if he showed himself he would be ganged up on immediately. They couldn't give him the time to plan and think. She would be the front liner while Pyrrha and Jaune supported and Qrow's team would be notified as soon as possible. If they were able to fight him six against one, even the best fighter in the world could be overwhelmed. The only concern would be what he would do with the environment around him, which consisted of hundreds of ruined buildings whose foundations have only grown weaker over time. Not to mention the Grimm that could be roaming around every corner. If given time their advantage of numbers could quickly turn into a disadvantage since the negative emotions that come forth naturally in a battle would attract Grimm by the dozens.

Which was why she was so on guard, and hasn't been able to get off it except for the time Qrow convinced her it was time to get some shut-eye for the rest of the night. They had their advantages and disadvantages, but the last time she let herself lower her guard the man snuck into Beacon and right under their noses killed a dozen Atlesian guards and a huntress in training. She as much as every staff member and professor at Beacon all felt guilt in not being able to protect the student, however irrational and not at fault she may be, she felt partly responsible for the death of that student.

If it wasn't personal before, it was now. Qrow had more reason than her to take him down but her sister was now depressed and crying every day because of what he did. It may be compromising for her to be on this mission, but then again just about every huntress and huntsman felt like one of their own was just taken from them meer weeks ago. There wasn't much in the range of options for people who weren't compromised, and she and Qrow were some of the best in Vale at the moment, they couldn't send anyone worse if it wasn't an army.

Taking in a deep breath she made herself think on other matters. Glenn was still as vast as she was taught back when she was still in school. It was a historical tragic event that was known all over the world in every kingdom and even in some villages that lied in the outskirts of each kingdom. The city was more ruined than she thought it'd be, and unfortunately, essentially none of the bodies that were left behind were collected and buried properly. Her and the rest of their squadron opted to not focus on the decayed skeletal remains of the bodies of innocents and the past huntsman and huntresses who tried to protect them and gave their lives in doing so, only for the call to be made to collapse the tunnels so that Vale didn't meet the same fate as their attempted expansion.

From what she read many huntsman and huntresses either retired or quit after that, and she couldn't blame them. Witnessing such events unfold must have been beyond traumatizing. She was still a teenage girl when it happened, but Qrow was in his fourth year of Beacon. It was one of the things she admired about him, the ability to keep going on after that. A shame certain people were not able to move past it…

Her thoughts were interrupted as she spotted a shadow move from around the corner of a building that Jaune and Pyrrha were just about to walk past. Moving without hesitation, she fired past them in a white blur and activated her semblance the moment she got in front of the alley. An Atlesian knight burst from a glyph and impaled a creature on the end of its pure white-blue blade, lifting it up and out of the alley to reveal that it was not the assassin like she thought it'd be but the alpha of the pack that they were worrying about before. The Grimm struggled to get itself off the sword, but expired quickly due to blood loss and the massive wound in its chest.

"Woah!" Jaune cried out as the alpha Beowolf, a creature that was many times bigger than he was landed with a weighty thud just in front of him. "I didn't even notice that it's huge!"

"Me neither…" Pyrrha said with a sigh of relief.

"Watch your surroundings," Winter said as she turned to them and deactivated her summoning glyph. She looked to them with a scolding glare that made the two teens shrink in on themselves. "If I'd not been here you would have been caught off guard and potentially killed. _Never _let your guard down when you are in Grimm territory. No amount of skill will protect you from an attack you do not see coming."

"Yes, mam…" Pyrrha knew that last part was directed straight at her. She looked down, ashamed with herself. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"I certainly hope so," Winter sheathed her weapon and continued their patrol forward. Neither Jaune or Pyrrha argued that they were supposed to be the ones taking point, after that, they knew they couldn't be trusted to keep up the front line.

Winter sighed silently through her nose. Teenagers, it was annoying that she had to keep watch for them after all the training she's done to become a specialist, but she knew it was for good reason. She thought that it was Marcus casting that shadow at first, only for her to find out that she was literally jumping at shadows with that last attack. Now she may have broadcasted her position to the man if he didn't know they were there already.

_Tch… I need to be more careful as well. _She scolded herself mentally. She couldn't afford to keep making mistakes like that, she didn't know who could be watching. One wrong move, and their entire squad could be cut down by one half.

* * *

Marcus sniggered as he watched the group of three continuing forward after a light scolding to the two youngest ones. If he was allowed to he would have jumped out at them right at that moment, being in the dark building beside them and a few floors up, they wouldn't have even heard him coming until he was already on the huntress. Dead Grimm evaporated in front of him as he turned back around and continued to move through the abandoned apartment complex. There was a pack of Creeps here just waiting to be slaughtered and it was annoying to take them all out silently. He was good at suppressing his emotions so they didn't detect him until he was already taking them out one by one.

He's been following these three for the past couple of hours. He decided that it would be better to let them roam around for a few days before actually going to try and find them. Give them time to calm down a little, take in the sight and get used to the destroyed city. It made it easier for him to sneak around them undetected. He stuck to the buildings above them and within them. Either on the buildings or in some stable rooms themselves. His job here was to keep an eye on them, and while he had many chances to take them all down, which he knew he could given that he had the element of surprise on his side, he knew and Roman pointed out that since they were split up if one group went silent the other would assume correctly that they were no longer active and have been defeated. They would return to Vale and come back with a practical army. So he took the unneeded advice and just became their shadow.

Contrary to popular belief, one didn't need to actually keep their target insight to know where they were and where they were going. Especially for a place like Mountain Glenn, the only direction they could safely take was the road because it was much more open than the ruined and dark buildings and alleyways. Which meant all he had to do was look out a window and find them. It was like a cycle, he would peek over the edge or out a window, spot them, wait ten seconds, move and then spot them again. If they were too far he would catch up, too close and he would wait for half a minute. It was second nature to him after going through a life of evading and defeating huntsman and huntresses and even other assassins like Cobi after he took her bounty. Thankfully he didn't have to worry about that here in Glenn, since there were no people here that meant no targets, which meant no assassins coming to get him if Anon decided to break his side of the deal and send people after him. Ironically, possibly the least safe place in Vale was the safest place for him. Away from Cinder and all that Beacon bullshit.

At this rate, he was never going to be found out by them. He only ever poked his head out for a second at a time, and he only ever did that about every minute or so and when he did do it he would make sure his white hair and face were still concealed by shadows. It would take some crazy observational skills to spot him with the way he was making his way through the dark buildings now, it was difficult even for him to get through all the dark buildings and he had to move extra slowly when it came to rooftops.

Grimm came and went as he moved on. He avoided them whenever he could and destroyed them when he had to. The small ones were small fry compared to him but the bigger ones would take more effort, so he often didn't even get close enough to those ones for them to detect him lest he announces his presence and make everything even harder for himself.

"Just like old times…" He whispered to himself as he spotted the three moving on ahead and almost out of sight, signaling to him that it was time to move again. He prepared himself to get out of his current hiding spot and looked around for Grimm, after failing to find anything he relied on his hearing to try and locate with that, once he was confident that he was safe he nodded his head and stood up.

Only for him to slam his back up against a dark corner of the room as he heard a bird flap its wings and land on the windowsill beside him. He knew better than to assume that the bird was just your regular every day avian and slowly unholstered his gun. He was shrouded in darkness but a bird's eyes worked differently than a humans, which meant it could probably see him in the dark. He took aim at it and held his breath, he didn't want to shoot if he didn't have too, even if it was Qrow the bird would still have aura and it wouldn't die from just one shot despite how weak and frail its body would be. It's small and black head sporadically looked to each corner of the room as it preened its own feathers.

Finally, after a few very tense seconds, Marcus almost pulled the trigger when it's head reared upon him. He let out that breath of relief and cursed for the bird to leave when he saw that the bird did not have the red eyes that he was looking for. Once the bird panicked and flew away from its potential predator, Marcus holstered his guns and looked out the window again. Finding that Winter, Jaune and Pyrrha were even further ahead than before.

"Damn it," Deciding that it was more risky than it was worth, he let them go and pulled out his scroll, sending a quick message to Neo who was the one keeping an eye on Qrow and his group. Having a semblance that basically makes you invisible made it pretty easy one to sneak around even in plain sight, so she naturally had that advantage over him and didn't have to worry about being seen as much.

"_Heading back now, my three are going ahead but the suns going down. They'll probably camp up for the night and start again in the morning. You should probably do the same." _Was the message he typed and sent to the mute.

'_K' _Was Neo's reply.

He scoffed and stuff the scroll away, his job was done for now and he doubted that they'd find the subway that night but would probably find it sometime tomorrow. With one last glare to where that bird used to be, he jumped out the window and landed quietly on the road under him and made his way back underground.

* * *

Roman puffed smoke out of his lungs and then proceeded to take another deep breath straight after, blowing even more of it out and finishing the rest of that cigar and flicking it away with his finger when he saw that it was just a stub of thick brown paper left. He barely acknowledged his old friend turned assassin as he entered the front train car with him, landing gently with impossible silence that would have been unheard if he was actually trying to hide himself.

"They'll find us tomorrow," Marcus said as he moved to the seat against the wall of the train car, taking out and flourishing a knife out of boredom. "Are the animals ready?"

"As ready as they'll ever be I guess," Roman muttered with a sigh. "What did you see today, same shit?"

"Same shit," Marcus nodded his head. "The Schnee and her two brats did the same shit, though I laughed a bit when she jumped at a shadow and killed an alpha, Grimm. I could have killed them a dozen times already if you weren't so afraid of being caught out by Ironwoods army."

"Sorry to disappoint but not everyone can beat whole teams of huntsman at once," Roman rolled his eyes. "And I would like to hold off on turning this ride on for as long as possible, the less pissed Cinder is the better."

"And here I thought you were planning to ditch her," Marcus remarked.

"Oh I am," Roman laughed. "But on the off-chance that she isn't planning to kill us all I'd rather ditch her on good terms y' know? Maybe if she finds me she wouldn't burn me to death on the spot that way."

"Hmph," Roman was lucky to even have that option. Marcus almost reminded him of the fact that _he _was being hunted in all kingdoms, by other assassins, and potentially the fucking personification of evil if he was so lucky to gain her scorn as well. It turns out that he's made quite a name for himself, hasn't he? Especially recently.

Neo turned up a few minutes later, with much similar results to what he reported to Roman. Qrow, Winter and their little junior team of huntsman in training were still just doing the same shit. Day in and day out, and the nights were always the same. There were just six of them but sadly that was six more huntsman and huntresses that the White Fang could reliably handle. The only ones that he was confident that could take them on was himself, Neo, and maybe Roman if he caught one or two by himself. He was always the weak one on the team, so it didn't surprise him to find out he had Neo babysitting and protecting him whenever fights came along. But when he did and would have to fight, he really was a dirty tricker and had more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Man," Roman sighed again and it was clear that he was tense with the way he was constantly tapping his foot and adjusting his hat into more comfortable positions. "This is shitty."

After a few moments of awkward silence and Roman looking to him through the corner of his eye, Marcus rolled his own eyes and replied. "What is, Roman?" In a bored tone.

"Y' know, the whole _blowing up a big fucking hole in the middle of vale_ thing seems to be getting to be a little bit. Just imagine all the chaos that we're going to cause, and the Grimm coming in to make things even worse. Man, if I'm not more wanted than you are at the end of this than I am going to be genuinely surprised. But still," Roman continued. "Lotta people are going to die, man. Especially the women, and _especially _the children."

Neo snickered silently behind him.

Marcus frowned. "You're selling it a little too hard there Roman, what's the point you're trying to make?"

"My _point_," Roman turned to face him fully, and animately twirled his can and placed it on the ground with a loud tap. "Is that this is going to be bad for business, believe it or not, Marcus, but I have never killed anyone before."

"Bullshit."

"Fine, I haven't killed anyone _important_," Roman allowed. "But my statement remains. My reputation of a gentleman criminal is going to be dragged through the mud and thrown into a cesspool only for that cesspool to be lit on fire and dumped in the Grimmlands. I'm a wanted man now, but I'm the kind of wanted man that doesn't have to worry about cops going after him because I don't cause chaos. I just make points by stealing millions of Lien and therefore make it a little harder for myself as the council gets their heads out of their asses. Only way to get a message across."

"I swear I was hired once to kill a council member…"

"Oh yeah!" Roman laughed. "I remember that new, man, Atlas was _pissed_. Anyway, I don't _want _to do this but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do to survive."

"Even if it means giving the women and the children a brutal death?"

"Even then…" Roman hesitated, good, Marcus would have been put off if he didn't.

Marcus hummed and looked away and down to the floor. He didn't care much for the deaths of others, women and children died every day, and his kill count didn't even come close to that of the Grimm. He was just the most famous for it because of his past allegiance to Beacon. A man of his profession couldn't allow himself to feel empathy or sympathy for others. If he did he would have been broken by now. He had his Black genes to help him with that, which over time underwent microevolutions in order to make each generation less and less emotional. Some turned out well while others… not so much. His generation was a lucky one, he and his late brother were born pretty similar, but it was clear that he came out with the better hand.

Mercury wasn't so lucky… in the scenario that Mercury lived a longer life, he would have been too directed by his own emotions which would have lead to him making mistakes.

He didn't find himself thinking about his son often, he was dead and that was that. It wasn't like they were incredibly close anyway. After his wife was murdered and Mercury blamed him for it the only relationship they had was driven by blood and nothing else. He was a shit father of course, but he did try. One thing was certain however, he was not going to have any more kids. Which meant that when he died, the Black bloodline would finally become extinct.

Thinking about his son lead to him gritting his teeth he remembered other things that happened because of his birth. The death of a friend, and the promise he silently agreed too. The small amount of emotions he had almost lead to him making a mistake at the wrong time, it made him hesitate. Got him shot and then lead to him making another mistake right after that. Letting the girl down and deciding to let her live. Of course, it didn't go the way he intended it too, he kept his aura up just in case and was rewarded for it by surviving another gunshot to the head. He killed her and then everything became a mess right as a result. All because he stayed there for an extra minute when he didn't have to.

And those damn words were coming back to him. Change his mind it begged him, do the right thing it told him. He promised, it reminded him. He remained silent and shut his eyes, Roman noticed that he wasn't going to speak any more to him and scoffed. If only he knew what was going on in his head at that moment, maybe he wouldn't have been such an asshole about it.

Even dead for over a decade, and Summer still kept being an annoying thorn in his ass…

And she'd still be around if it wasn't for… wasn't for…

Marcus snapped his eyes open and stood up in a panic. Roman was startled and was pushed back until he fell over, Neo widened her eyes and prepared to fight just in case Marcus was making a move, but instead she watched with confused shock as the white-haired man aimed his gun at the front of the train over Roman and not at the window of the front train car.

At the noise of the train was a black bird, a crow with red eyes. It was staring at them, a strange emotion within them. Neo thought to herself that she didn't know birds could have eyes of that color.

Marcus fired without hesitating. The bird squawked in a panic and flew off, Marcus ran up to the window and cursed when he realized that he's lost it when it flew up to a crack in the ceiling of the tunnel.

"Fuck!" He cursed loudly.

"The fuck was that for?" Roman complained as he was helped up by Neo.

"They're coming," Marcus barked. Roman widened his eyes, shocked. "That bird was fucking Qrow Branwen, I don't know how but I know he can turn into a bird."

"How do you know that?"

"I-" Marcus hesitated, remembering a conversation from a long time ago. "Cinder," He lied. "Don't worry about it, just go to the White Fang and get them to start this train _now_."

Roman knew the tone of his voice, it was a voice that left him no room to talk back unless he wanted to get shot. Roman looked to Neo and nodded to her, and then nodded to Marcus and stormed out the door. Once that was settled Neo looked to him for instructions as if he was the one calling the shots now, which honestly he pretty much was.

"When they get here, try and separate them," Marcus said as he loaded a magazine for his pistol. "Take the kids, I can deal with the two hunters."

Neo didn't even argue with him, she knew he was capable of it. All she had to do was play her part. She disappeared with her semblance and he didn't know when he was going to see her again, not that it mattered as long as she did what he told her to do.

Marcus sneered and loaded his gun, again. He hesitated. Again.

He was starting to get sloppy, thankfully, it seems like the White Fang finally woke up as he heard them start to load as much dust as they could only each train car.

* * *

**The final set up chapter, whew, this was a good one. Short but sweet, I like it. Next one is the long one and this little arc will be about 3 chapters give or take. Wish me luck, time to go to work again.**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	22. Chapter 22

**Here we are again guys, keeping it going as per the plan. This is going to be a lengthy one, so make sure you have a good 20-30 minutes. Unless you're a faster reader, in that case. Enjoy!**

**Update: We should be good, nevermind. Enjoy the chapter anyway!**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 22**

* * *

_Ever thought about a series of plans in case one fails? Well, they did a damn good job getting through Plan A and B. Though unfortunately, C was the one that worked..._

Qrow burst into their hideout and yelled for everyone to wake up. Dazed, confused and surprised, Winter was the only one who managed to keep herself cool enough to confront the red-eyed huntsman.

"I found them," Qrow reported to them all.

"You found them?" Pyrrha asked, already entering a better state of mind to fit the new circumstances. "How?"

"My semblance allows me to turn into a bird," Qrow lied easily. "Let's not get too much into it. Fact of the matter is that I found them and we have a limited amount of time before it's too late for us to do anything about it. I want everyone geared up and ready to go in less than five minutes."

"Y-yes sir!" Though still sleepy and woozy from suddenly being woken up as they were, he had to give them credit where credit was due, they did exactly as he said. As Team JNPR was getting ready for their first real battle out in the field, Qrow stepped up to Winter and beckoned her to come closer, which she did.

"He's here," Qrow said, managing to keep himself calm for the meantime. "I saw him, the bastard is working with Torchwick and some pink-haired girl."

Winter cursed underneath her breath in a very un-Schnee like manner. As much as he thought that this would have been a good chance to tease her for the slip-up, now just wasn't the time when there was potentially the safety of every innocent in Vale was at risk.

"Do you think we can defeat him together?" Winter asked, genuinely concerned.

"I don't know, it's been too long for me to give an accurate answer to that," Qrow replied honestly. Back in his Beacon day's Marcus was one of the best of their year and even better than some of the older years. He was right up there with himself, Raven, and Summer along with a few other people he wasn't very close with at the time. The only one who was able to beat him and beat him consistently and form any kind of rivalry with him was Raven. But nowadays they were all stronger, and he hasn't been able to fight Marcus one on one, not for a lack of him trying. Sadly, his sister didn't seem like she was going to be showing up anytime soon, so they were on their own for this one. As for what he thinks, however… "Maybe," He said, shrugging helplessly. "Either way, we're going to give him one hell of a fight."

"Understandable," Winter nodded, acknowledging his words as the closest to the truth as possible. "Let us not worry about it for the moment. We should make sure that the students don't have to worry about fighting him, he is a priority target and only we can reliably handle him at this time."

"Agreed," Qrow tried his scroll again and tried to call Ozpin or even Ironwood, but even their state of the art tech wasn't able to reach all the way back to Vale. With a curse, the best he could do was send a message to the pilot who was at a docking station just miles away in the hopes that he was able to relay the message back to Beacon. After that, he stuffed the scroll back into his pocket after making sure he was still connected with the five other members of their party.

With a shared nod between the huntsman and Specialist, they both turned to the students.

"Here's what we're going to be doing," Qrow spoke up and yanked all the attention of Team JNPR to himself. "We're going to go along the route that I took to get into the subway and sneak our way into the compound. There's a minimally guarded path that I think we can all take. Got it blondie?"

"Yes sir," Jaune nodded his head. As the leader of his team, he was responsible for committing everything that was said to him to memory to use just in case they needed it during the mission.

"We stay together no matter what," Winter continued. "I don't care if Marcus Black is escaping right before our eyes, do not give chase unless either me or Qrow are there with you. The White Fang should be easy enough opponents, the only ones that you must be careful with are Roman Torchwick and his accomplice excluding the man we've already spoken of."

"There's also one of the lieutenants of the White Fang there," Qrow pointed out. "He is one of the lower-ranking ones and you should be able to deal with him safely, but don't let your guard down for even a second."

"Ask your questions now or you will lose your chance," Winter said.

"What if we get separated?" Nora asked.

"If you get separated to try and find a way back to your team, notify us immediately and we will come get you. To extend on that, make sure that you take into account all of your teammates and remember where they are located. Any of us could be strayed or forced away at any moment without any of us knowing." Winter explained. "Anything else?"

"Yeah um… what do we do if we are on our own against one of those guys you mentioned and there's no safe option then to fight?" Jaune asked, even raising his hand to draw more attention to himself.

"Don't," Qrow easily answered with a shrug. "Or you're dead."

"G-got it." Jaune swallowed nervously, Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder to give him her support. She'd be there for him, he knew it, and for once he wasn't going to be annoyed by it whatsoever. Considering who they were up against he wouldn't mind the entire army of Atlas coming in to support him.

"No more questions," Qrow said as he drew his weapon, everyone else followed his lead as a result. "Follow me, I know the way and again, _be careful_ and _stay together_. Those are the most important things you kids need to work with right now."

"Yes, sir!" Now filled with determination and understanding, all of Team JNPR followed Qrow and Winter close behind. After everything they've heard and having it drilled into their skulls day after day, none of them thought it would be a good idea to go against the professional's advice.

Qrow and Winter together lead them through the ruins of Glenn, thankfully there was no Grimm in the area thanks to Qrow's nightly culling and the stairway that leads into the underground subway was found quickly. It looked as if Qrow had to dig himself a hole in order to get into the tunnels, but together the rest of them made an entrance big enough for each of them to squeeze through without too much issue.

Now that they were in, their real mission officially began. One last time, Qrow and Winter ran over the rules to them. They were worried, and rightly so. None of them knew what was going to happen and there was always a chance that something would go wrong, and in this case, that chance seemed to be tripled or even quadrupled considering that Marcus Black himself was within these tunnels. Even then, Jaune and his team would steel themselves for the worst. They wouldn't let anything happen, they promised themselves that.

Even still, the entire team went deeper into the tunnels with barely restrained trembling hands.

* * *

A White Fang guard named Gerold looked to his long-time friend, Samson. Together, they were set on guard to watch a part of the tunnels that was deemed almost impossible for anyone up from the surface to get into. But apparently there was a chance of Grimm clawing their way through the rubble and surprise attack them. Of course, nothing happened and the biggest Grimm they had to worry about were the rat types. Which were like regular rats, but much smellier and more aggressive.

"Hey man," Gerold looked to Samson.

"Yeah?"

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

"Hm," Samson hummed. "I don't know, why are we here? Is this part of some grand divine plan, or are we just another piece to the puzzle? I don't know man, life in itself is a mystery. Sometimes it keeps me up at night."

Gerold looked at him through his mask and a confused expression on his face.

"The fuck? I didn't mean that, I meant why are we here? Just two guys guarding a stupid empty tunnel with rocks at the end of it with our only source of entertainment using Grimm rats as target practice. That, not whatever the fuck you just spit out of your mouth."

"Oh," Samson looked away, embarrassed. "Well, in that case, I have no goddamn clue. Torchwick just ran around screaming for us to get to our posts and here we are."

"Ugh," Gerold groaned. "I would rather be packing the damn train with dust."

"Yeah, me too man. Me too." Samson sighed.

The two of them rested their elbows on the rusted guard rail and continued looking into the darkness. Their faunus eyes enabled them to see in the dark and still, like always, there was nothing for them to see and sound the alarm for. Sighing, Gerold let his head fall into his arms and sighed explosively.

"Hey man, I think I see something!" Samson pointed into the darkness.

"Probably another damn rat," Gerold moaned.

"No man, this definitely ain't a rat. It's got wings and shit, I swear."

"A bird got down here then, so what?"

"It's better than shooting at fucking rats. Oh, here it comes!"

Gerold and Samson looked at the crow that landed on the guard rail in between them with goofy expressions on their faces. Little things like these made it easier to handle the guarding shift, it was how they were able to keep going nowadays.

"Heh, ain't you a little cutie?" Gerold said as he reached for the bird.

The crow replied with a squawk and then turned into a full-grown man. Startled, the two terrorists raised their weapons to try and shoot him but they were both kicked in the face before they were able to pull the triggers. Gerold and Samson fell down, unconscious, and from behind Qrow, Winter and all of Team JNPR all climb up and over the guard rail.

"What the- Intruders!" A passing member of the White Fang, likely coming over to relieve the two idiots turned heel and sprinted for what could only be assumed to be an alarm. Winter sped after him and managed to catch him, but not before his hand slapped onto a device of some kind. Sending a signal that made the train in the distance honk it's horn in a near deafening screeching sound.

"Damn it," Qrow shifted his weapon into a scythe and cursed. "Looks like stealth isn't going to work here, not like we would have lasted long anyway. Not bringing attention to myself is a specialty of mine."

"Something you should work on," Winter remarked. "It more often than not brings the wrong kind of attention."

"We all have our faults."

"There they are!" A large group of White Fang came from around all corners and directions. In the distance, the group of five was able to see the other members of the Fang scrambling to load the train with more dust as quickly as they could.

Seeing that as their signal, they each looked to each other and charged into battle. Winter and Qrow lead the charge, with Nora and Pyrrha at their sides and Jaune and Ren behind them to give them support. Together, the first wave of White Fang hardly stood a chance against their combined might. Qrow was relentless in his assault and Winter was as well, showing no mercy in cutting down or knocking out terrorists that tried to get in their way. Behind them, Pyrrha and Nora took care of whoever slipped through their first line of their formation, and their other two teammates supported all of them whenever they could. A second wave came and went, and as they all fought with no holding back and ignoring the terrorists who had not unlocked their aura just yet, Qrow and Winter started directing them toward the train itself.

The train was massive, and it looked like it had been hastily repaired. After the Grimm invasion on Glenn, not all of the trains were finished. If they had, it would have been much easier and safer to evacuate all of the civilians. Some were left behind and the White Fang seemed to have used that to their advantage and repaired parts of this train the best that they could and seemingly they were able to get it functional. Considering that they were still packing it with dust, it had to be functional.

They didn't know what they were planning to do with the train but none of them wanted to wait and find out later. Qrow called for them to form a tighter formation within the chaos and Pyrrha and Jaune with their shields were pulled to the front so that they were able to block the hail fire of bullets that primarily came from that direction. They were pushed forward by Qrow and Winter with Ren and Nora covering the back together. However, they weren't getting there fast enough with all the White Fang getting in their way, and there was hardly any cover between them and the train. Likely an intentional design plan by Torchwick just in case huntsmen or huntresses did happen to come across their little secret base. With no cover, they were forced to cross the open space in order to get to the caboose of the train cars.

To their horror, the train blared it's horns again as it started its engines. Breaking their formation, Team JNPR and their escort huntsman and huntress all broke into a sprint in an almost vain attempt to catch up to the train before it got too far. Even the White Fang didn't expect it, most were left behind and wondering why this happened. But a good bulk of their forces made it onto the train, and as it moved people dropped their crates and made for the doors before they could close. One by one they shut tightly.

Winter realized that they were going to make it running like this, so as they sprinted she used her semblance and outstretched a hand out in front of them. A series of glyphs covered the path before them, and each member of JNPR, herself, and Qrow all felt the time around them seemingly slow down, as did the train itself. On the outside, the White Fang perceived them as moving much faster, so much so that Qrow was able to dive inside the last train car before it's door could shut all the way and keep it pried open with his sword.

One by one the rest of their party dove into the train. Winter first, then Pyrrha, Jaune, Ren, and Nora in that order. Though Jaune needed to be pulled the rest of the way in by Pyrrha before Ren was able to get in himself. Before they knew it, they were on the train and already taking ragged labored breaths.

They couldn't rest for long, there were more White Fang on the train and some were even in that train car. Pyrrha took the initiative with the professional hunters and pinned one of them up against the wall with her shield and pinned their arms to the wall with her free hand after dropping her weapon. Jaune picked it up for her as Qrow and Winter knocked out the other terrorists.

"Why were the train cars behind loaded with dust?" Pyrrha demanded in a demanding tone. The adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, giving her an amazing amount of strength, and she wasn't in the polite mood that she was usually in, the terrorist was completely at her mercy.

"I'll never tell you, shitty human!" He spat into her face, but Pyrrha kept her cool. Thankfully, Ren wiped off the spittle for her with his sleeve.

"Answer her bud," Qrow said as he placed the edge of his sword against his neck, threatening to kill him and with no reason not too. They were terrorists, after all, most of the world didn't even consider them normal faunus with rights anymore. "She won't ask again and you won't want me to ask you that question, do you?"

"I-I…" The terrorist struggled with his emotions and loyalties. But he was still a fresh recruit, in this situation, survival meant more than anything. He gave in quickly as Pyrrha slowly strangled him with her shield.

"O-okay, the train is going to be-"

Pyrrha's eyes widened with shock as a hole suddenly exploded open through the man's skull. Blood splattered over her face and she fell with a terrified cry. Another bullet struck the bracer on her arm and another against the aura of her neck. Finally, Qrow shot back at the attacker.

Pyrrha looked up and saw him, Marcus Black, he had a smug grin on his face even as he dodged Qrow's retaliation. There was a shuttle maintenance door at the top of the train car, and he'd used it to silence the terrorist before he could reveal their plan and then nearly killed her as well. Pyrrha shook with fear, she's never come that close to dying before, she was so thankful for holding her aura up the entire time just in case.

"MARCUS!" Qrow continued to shoot at the ceiling of the train car.

"Stop! You're just wasting ammo." Winter pointed out as she pushed Qrow's arm down and away from the ceiling. With a frustrated groan, Qrow agreed and lowered his weapon, though now he was on more guard than ever.

"Are you okay!?" Jaune asked his partner as he helped her up.

Pyrrha had a shaky look in her eyes, there was still blood on her face from the terrorist that died right before her eyes. "Y-yes," She stammered out, thanking Ren as he once against offered his sleeve to wipe the blood off of her face. "I was just… shocked."

"Y-yeah," Jaune shook as well, he'd never seen anyone die in person before, neither did Nora. Ren hid his frustration well.

"That," Qrow pointed at the dead terrorist. "Could happen to any of you if you let your guard down for even a second. Stick close and stay together, we'll go through each train car one by one for now."

"Uh… guys?" Nora pointed to the next train car, drawing each of their attention toward the opening. "The door is already open, and besides some dust there's nothing else in here."

"It may be a trap," Winter said with narrowed eyes. "We enter all at once, follow."

As a single unit they entered the empty train car, the doors automatically shut behind them with a hiss, but suddenly enough to startle Ren as he was pulled forward by Qrow just in case he would be crushed by the doors itself. A few seconds passed and they heard a loud mechanical clink, another few moments later, an explosion rocked the entire train as the old caboose of the train decoupled and detonated suddenly. The entire team looked on with shock through the windows.

"They… de-coupled the train." Ren said, analyzing everything in his head and figuring out the plan of the White Fang. "There are bombs in these train cars, and the Grimm are entering the tunnels… this tunnel leads to Vale… Oh, God."

"We need to stop this train!" Winter shouted, much more unprofessional than she was being before. They moved in much more of a rush, and none of them thought they had time to ask the question of why they were allowed into the next train car and not all killed in that explosion.

They were allowed no rest and no time to process this new sudden information. The train cars were rigged with explosives, and in time each of them would explode and more Grimm would enter the tunnels. If they didn't stop this train in time, then Vale would be swarmed with Grimm before they knew it.

With that in mind, Pyrrha stopped and looked up to the ceiling of the train. Her eyes narrowed as an idea formed within her mind. She knew of a way to defuse these bombs in the quickest way possible without endangering her teammates. However, it would require a lot of focus and a lot of gritting her teeth...

* * *

Marcus stuck close to the roof of the train as he felt the force of the winds blow his hair every which way. Being careful with each step as to not alert the ones that he is tailing of his presence. He couldn't let that guy tell them about the plan, they'd figure it out in time, but not like that. Though if there were any more doubts for any reason that he wasn't there in Glenn anymore, he squandered them when he tried to kill that red-haired girl.

She was so famous that it was hard for anyone not to know about her. It was Pyrrha fucking Nikos, of course he'd know about her. Not that she'd actually cause trouble for him, but he figured that he'd try and get her after killing that White Fang grunt that was getting a little too talkative for his liking. Impressively enough, she was smarter than Blake was and kept up her aura and managed to survive his shots. He wouldn't get another chance like that, even with them being distracted by the White Fang currently in the train cars ahead of them. Roman ordered them all to leave the back two mostly unoccupied for obvious reasons, and the door in the back was the only one that was set to automatic. Which sucked, of course, however anti-climatic it would have been, he would have been amused at the sight of Qrow and them all dying in a big fiery explosion without every crossing blades with himself.

Now he was just waiting for a chance to jump in there for when Neo did her part to separate them, and she was taking her sweet time as usual. While crouching, he slowly followed their sounds of fighting, until it stopped. Curious, he stopped as well. Listening closely for anything that may hint to him of what they could be planning now.

What he didn't expect was for the roof and top compartments of the train car previous to his to get peeled off and thrown down the tunnel, exploding harmlessly in a much smaller explosion that wasn't able to blow a big hole in the ceiling of the tunnel.

"Fuck…" Marcus cursed as he noticed the bolts and metal of his train car denting and peeling apart. He threw caution to the wind and dove forward to the next train car, looking back to see that the place he was just standing was now on the train tracks behind them, the bomb going off once again harmlessly. Gritting his teeth, he dared to look over the edge and into the train car when he heard Qrow and Winter cursing and running back to the one who caused all the damage.

He stepped back and flicked his head away to dodge a bronze shield that would have struck him right in the chin. Pyrrha Nikos, red in the face out of exertion attacked him as she flipped onto the roof of the train. Caught off guard at first, she was able to drive him back with her first few attacks.

That didn't last long, once Marcus regained his footing he took control of the fight quickly. Drawing out his long knife and deflecting Pyrrha's spear and punching her in the stomach with his free hand the moment an opening was made. Pyrrha's green eyes bulged and the tide quickly turned against her. She scrambled to defend herself but the assassin was merciless, constantly driving her back with kicks and slashes against her shield, always angling the knife she found herself quickly bruised and her aura dwindling. Especially when Marcus slashed his knife against her neck. If it weren't for her aura, her throat would have been slashed open.

"Gah!" Pyrrha gagged as a hand wrapped around her throat. Panicking, she realized what he was going to do instantly and thrashed out, throwing her leg forward and hitting him in the groin to prevent her semblance from being stolen from her.

Marcus dropped her with a cry of pain as his crotch was struck by a guarded knee. "You little bitch!" He hissed and drew out his pistol, taking aim at her face.

Pyrrha staggered back and held up her shield the best she could. The power behind the bullet pushed her back, but someone caught her before she could fall over. Qrow grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and threw her behind himself and back into the ripped open train car behind them. Beside him was Winter Schnee, already forming a glyph beneath her feet as they stared him down.

Marcus snickered, not even a hello to start off this fight. He began by backpedaling. Taking on two hunters at once was a difficult task, and it would only be harder if one got behind him. Luckily he chose their battleground carefully. On the top of a speeding train, there was only a straight path for them to take in order to get to him, which meant he only needed to worry about one direction. Qrow and Winter were strong, incredibly so, and they were very skilled. Marcus felt his muscles burn and sweat began to precipitate across his body as they continued to fight. Weapons clashed against weapons, and his long knife paled in comparison of Qrow's long and thick blade and Winter's saber. In a straight fight, it would take a lot from him to win, and it didn't help that Qrow already had a vague grasp on his fighting style. Winter and Qrow kept advancing, forcing him to back peddle. Winter thrusting forward and Qrow shifting his weapon mid slashes to get around his guard… it was working.

His knife clashed and ground against Qrow's sword and his forearm encased in aura defended him against Winter's prodding attacks. The specialist occasionally sent out small Grimm in the form of swarms of Nevermore to try and disorient him, but he countered by simply pushing through them and ignoring the pain of them pecking at his aura. He couldn't take his eyes off them, doing so would mean his certain defeat. Deflecting Qrow's sword he created an opening for him to kick the other man in the chest. Qrow blocked with his forearm and absorbed a lot of the damage, but he was forced out of the way. Winter widened her eyes as Marcus entered her guard within the second that Qrow spent recovering after his hit. Once, twice, and three times Winter was cut by his knife. At such a close range, she had no time to summon nor did she have the distance to use her weapon effectively. She was knocked back as Marcus ended his attack with a crushing roundhouse to the side of her head.

Winter cried out as she rolled on the roof of the train and held on to the edge for dear life before she could fall. Before Marcus could kick her down, Qrow tackled him, the two of them continued their battle much more aggressively. As she tried to pull herself up she could only watch as Marcus and Qrow fought violently and acrobatically. Qrow was fast and he never let Marcus touch him with the skin of his hand, even going as far as to slap it away when he tried to grab him. In turn, Marcus seemed to remember Qrow's style and was able to keep up with him very well. As the Specialist struggled to pick herself back up, she noticed that as the fight was prolonged into a full minute, Qrow was slowly losing the advantage. He and Marcus were practically evenly matched, but the battleground was completely against Qrow and his style. He had no room to use his usual tricks lest he fall off the train and as luck would have it, he slipped on the metal roof.

Thankfully, that luck seemed to rub off on Marcus as he slipped as well, catching himself on all fours before his face could hit the metal. Qrow rolled backward and assumed a stance, preparing to be attacked right away, only for a tense inaction and silence to fill the tunnel.

Breathing deeply, Marcus pushed himself back up and stared down his old friend.

"Qrow, good to see you again." He greeted in a mocking tone. "You've gotten stronger, been training again?"

"Thanks to you, yes," Qrow replied. "Since my niece seems to have to learn a completely new fighting style thanks to you."

"Not my fault she tried to pick a fight with me."

"She tried to reach out to you!" Qrow screamed, his emotions getting the better of him. "She tried to bring you back to the light because that's just how she is. No matter who she is up against she sees them as a person, and once upon a time, you were known to be good. And in return, you stole her semblance and _destroyed _her team." He grit his teeth tightly. "She hates you now, I've never seen her so ruined and negative... I'll kill you for that, you fucking murderer."

"Funny, I've heard that one literally dozens of times." His smile gone, Marcus frowned and drew his pistol out once more. On his left was his knife. Qrow's comment hit a little close to home and drew out even more memories from him. The comparison was made almost automatically, since another certain Rose sought to bring him back to the light a long time ago.

That story was beaten into the dirt enough, he became numb to it now. He got Qrow angry and that meant he would make mistakes. Though, he didn't attack right away. The four students of Beacon behind his old friend discouraged him from continuing his assault.

Winter was helped up by Jaune and Pyrrha stood again alongside Qrow. Ren and Nora coming up behind them and the former two return to form an even greater line of defense against him. Cautiously, Marcus slowly stepped back step by step, the two on one suddenly turned into a six on one and he was at a very clear disadvantage.

No matter how skilled one person may be, they can always be overwhelmed. If he fought them all at the same time, he'd lose, they all knew that. Even if the students seemed to be terrified at the very sight of him. He continued stepping back as they slowly stepped forward. The White Fang and his two other allies were still around there somewhere and they were still cautious of them. There was a train car of distance between them and him.

Perfect.

With a smirk slowly creeping up the corner of his lips, he pulled out a detonator from his back pocket and pushed the big red button. The train car behind his six opponents that wasn't touched by Pyrrha's semblance exploded in a great ball of fire mixed with dust properties. All six of them were blasted forward and the force of the blast even threw Marcus back as well.

Nora and Ren fell over the side of the train but the green monk managed to grab a broken window of the train and save himself and his partner, pulling them both into the undamaged train car. On the other side, Jaune hung from a piece of metal and Pyrrha was stunned and shaken in front of him, she crawled her way to him and started to help him up.

"Watch out!"

Neo narrowly missed Jaune's side as her thin sword pierced through the air. Pyrrha wildly swung her spear - now turned into its sword form, and Neo bent backward impossibly to dodge it. She landed on her feet and smirked at the two of them cockily, not even turning around to worry about the two huntsman behind her.

"We have to get back to the others," Jaune told Pyrrha and pulled her back before she could continue the fight.

"We have to help Qrow and Winter!" Pyrrha argued.

"Trust them to handle this!" Jaune screamed back, startling his partner. "We'll just get in the way and Ren and Nora got separated from us, and with what just happened I don't know if we can beat this girl on our own."

They both stepped back as Neo took a step toward them. She giggled silently as she sensed the fear within them both. After the explosion effectively more than half of their squad were scattered, leaving the two escort hunters against Marcus Black by themselves, and the rest of the students against Neo. Who is on par in terms of skill and danger to her fellow ex-assassin. She was more than confident that she'd be able to take them all on at once with how versatile her semblance was. What made it all the more entertaining was that she loved playing with her food.

"We can't beat her," Jaune said, shaking as he pushed Pyrrha back further. "You're weak right now and I'm even weaker than you."

Pyrrha understood that as fact, she never thought that Jaune would ever admit it and she would never point it out herself, but it was true that they didn't stand a chance against this girl. After hearing it from Weiss, she never stood a chance against her and it didn't even seem like Neo was trying. Being one of the better fighters in Beacon, that spoke of worrisome concerns with how dangerous this girl may be. Even more so that she was fighting directly with Marcus Black and was allied with him.

Metal ripped around both Pyrrha and Jaune and they fell into the train through the hole that the champion's semblance created. When they landed, Neo frowned and chased after them. Sounds of fighting were heard immediately as all of Team JNPR were reunited and fought together against the colorful girl.

Marcus watched and listened to this with a satisfied grin on his face. After recovering himself from being stunned, he found that he was too far from either Winter or Qrow in order to take advantage of them being on the ground face down. Qrow was the first to recover and Winter followed shortly after, though after being so close to the blast their auras had to be dwindling already. All three of them were taking deep ragged breaths and their ears were still ringing because of the sudden explosion that went off. They were getting desperate now, Marcus noticed. Qrow had a feral look in his eyes and Winter had such hatred within hers that if his will was any weaker he may have retreated right there.

Not yet though, not when they were getting closer to the front of the train where Roman was making sure that the train wasn't going to be stopping anytime soon. Someone needed to keep the train going and if he was interrupted at all, then they wouldn't be able to cause nearly as much damage as they need to in order to blow a large enough hole in Vale for the Grimm to crawl through.

"Why are you doing this?" Qrow spoke over the winds as he moved toward him. "What is the point of all this? Coming back after all this time, causing this much chaos in Vale and now you're going to try and bring Grimm into the city?" He shook his head when Marcus refused to reply to him. "I guess your reasons don't matter, Salem's got to you, hasn't she? That's reason enough. I'm going to stop you, Marcus, by whatever means necessary."

"You will try," Marcus acknowledged. The two old friends squared off against each other from across the train cars, behind Qrow Winter was close behind, but after experiencing just how outclassed she was she opted to play the support role for now and not get into direct combat with her distant cousin. If he were to grab her and take her semblance then they'd be killed. Qrow had to trust her, he proved to be skilled enough to fight him and as much as it pains her to admit it, he was better than her as well.

The winds in the tunnel went deaf to their ears as Qrow rushed forward to attack Marcus. The assassin held his ground and barely budged even as he clashed his knife against Qrow's thick sword. He grit his teeth as he tried to push the man back and took aim with his pistol, but Qrow noticed and broke off. Right in time for Winter to leap over him and immediately keep up the assault for him. Her blade pierced through Marcus' defenses and his white aura flared as his shoulder was struck by the blade, right to the old bullet wound done to him by Blake. He winced and deflected the followup attack, but had to jump back to avoid Qrow's massive overhead swing that destroyed the roof of the train where he struck. Marcus tried to jump back in to grab Qrow in an attempt to steal his semblance, and therefore some of his aura, but in a stroke of bad luck Qrow actually caused enough damage to the roof of the train car that he broke a hole into the roof itself and halfway fell into it. Making Marcus miss his mark unintentionally. Winter kicked him in the chest before he could move his arm lower, and Marcus hastily raised his pistol to block her saber from cutting his face.

Jumping back to the next train car behind him, he opened fire with his pistol and unloaded the clip. Winter dodged and blocked the bullets, but they were much more powerful than the typical dust rounds that she was used to deflecting from the White Fang. One of the bullets got through her defenses and struck her in the leg. Causing her to cry out in pain and fall forward. Her own white aura flickered and threatened to go out, but the last few bullets were blocked by Qrow's sword before any more could hit her.

Marcus cursed as he ran out of bullets and returned the gun to its holster. He had no time to reload and he knew it, so he reached into another hidden pocket of his and drew out a slightly shorter knife than the one he mainly used. Only this one he held in a reverse grip.

His teeth gritted as he met Qrow's blade with both of those knives, and he found himself slowly being pushed back by Qrow's overwhelming strength. He allowed him to win the contest of strength and was not confident in his knives holding up against Qrow's large sword any longer. But it was all that he had, long combat knives were his best weapons and while he would be alright with a normal generic sword, he was much more dangerous with his shorter knives.

He dragged on their battle, allowing himself to be pushed back lest he let himself take unnecessary damage. Winter soon recovered and quickly joined Qrow once again, and together they were able to make Marcus worried about his chances of winning. Qrow was one thing, him being supported by an Atlesian Specialist with a huge grudge against him was another. He lost the advantage as they worked against him with magnificent teamwork and landed more blows against him while being careful of his hands. He was pushed farther and farther back, all the way until there was nowhere else for him to retreat too. The last car behind him was the one Roman was in driving the train, he had to hold his ground here.

He had no idea what was happening _within _the train either. A few of the train cars decoupled during the fight and exploded, but somehow he knew that Neo and the team of students were not in any of them. The White Fang were fighting but they were useless dead weight here. Grimm was chasing them down and they were only getting to Vale sooner and sooner with each second that passed.

_Looks like I am going to have to resort to Plan C after all… _Marcus thought as he went down to one knee and braced himself.

"NO!" Qrow screamed as his train car was decoupled, he tried to run forward but Winter grabbed him and pulled him to the previous car. Marcus covered his eyes and winced as a wave of heat and fire washed over his aura and yet another vast explosion shook the entire tunnel.

Marcus couldn't hang on and was blasted back. His aura flickering as it dealt a massive blow and he slipped off and onto the nose of the train itself. He continued to slip and cursed with wide frantic eyes as he felt himself slipping further and further down the nose of the train. Death by being pulled under a train and destroyed by the metal gears and wheels was not something Marcus wanted on his tombstone. He kept slipping and frantically grabbed at the steel plates to try and pull himself back up, but his fingers wouldn't stick and there was nowhere to die. He shut his eyes as he thought that he was going to die right there by being sucked underneath a train because of an explosion that he caused, but finally, at the last moment, his hands found purchase and wrapped around the hooked part of a cane and tightened his hands like a vice.

He looked up through one cracked open eye and saw Roman and the broken windshield of the train. He held out his cane and Marcus was holding onto it for dear life. Roman grunted as he pulled the man back into the train, straining against the force of the train itself, but the winds that were pushing them back actually became beneficial as the last few feet were covered by Marcus easily pulling himself back into the train with the help of the wind pushing him forward. When he rolled onto the floor of that train car he felt the exhaustion finally get to him. His aura flickered and was about to burst, only a few percent in the single digits remained. But that was all that he needed. He successfully held off Qrow and Winter on his own and the only train car that remained was the one that they were in and the one behind them. The rest of the train was destroyed save for the single train car that the two hunters and their students were now trapped on. They couldn't chase them anymore, they had to stay behind and defend themselves from the swarm of Grimm.

Roman slumped down beside him sighing explosively as their train continued forward. They had about two minutes or less before they would strike the rubble blocking off the tunnel.

"I'm going to have to start charging you for saving your ass," Roman said with a laugh.

"Fuck off, I just fought off two hunters while you sat down here and pushed buttons," Marcus said as he sat up, wiping the sweat off of his forehead and brows and flicking it to the side.

"Hey, because of my immense skill at pushing buttons, we don't have to worry about those hunters anymore." Roman pointed out. "Speaking of them, think they're gonna die out there?"

"Doubtful," Marcus said after a moment of thinking about it. "Qrow and the Schnee are good, and the last time I saw the students were all healthy."

"Heh, too bad most of the White Fang and Bane are dead," Roman laughed. "He was in that car that you blew up you know, I wonder if there's anything left of him."

"Probably not," Marcus shrugged his shoulders, uncaring for the White Fang whatsoever. "My main concern is Neo, will she be able to get out of there?"

"Worried about someone for once?" Roman teased. Marcus glare told him to explain and so he did lest he anger his partner without a need or desire to. "She's probably on her way back to us already, her semblance is pretty handy. Got a whole little pocket dimension she can travel through unhindered. She'll find us."

Marcus nodded his head and dragged himself so that he could rest against the wall of the train car. This was it, it was over. They won again and with any luck, he'd never have to see Qrow again after this. All that was left was finding a good time to ditch the train before it could hit Vale and head back up to the surface while the authorities were too busy dealing with the Grimm. They could all sneak back into society and with any luck, Cinder would get what she wanted. This was it, it would all be over soon.

He never felt more relaxed in his life. Marcus sighed after taking in a long deep breath. After this, all he had to worry about was Anon and his little kill list that he set up for him. It would be easy enough, two of them were likely to get crossed off very soon and the only ones he'd have to worry about next was Emerald and Cinder. He was pretty sure at least, he'd have to remind himself about it later. Right now, he was much too satisfied with himself to care. Another victory to chalk down on his long mental list.

"H-Hey…" Roman almost sounded like he was whimpering. "W-was there always lights at the end of this tunnel?"

Marcus snapped his eyes open and he rushed back up to his feet. He went to the front of the train beside Roman and widened his eyes with shock at what he saw. Blue and white lights shined at them from the end of their tunnel, Atlesian mechs and soldiers formed a blockade, but what worried him the most was that General Ironwood himself was leading this battalion, and there was a ginger-haired girl, the android that Marcus remembered encountering, and she was forming a bright green ball of energy in between her hands. Aiming right at the front of the train with it.

He remembered that attack, it was an energy attack that she tried to use against him when they fought. Only this was much more powerful, it was much more massive and much _much _larger. It would engulf the entire train.

"Fuck…" Roman summed up their new set of circumstances quite well.

"_FIRE!" _Ironwood's booming voice echoed throughout the tunnel, and green light reflected off Marcus' eyes as Penny's bright green energy attack got closer and closer to their train car.

The last thing he remembered before it hit was grabbing Roman and throwing him out of the train while he jumped after him. The explosion that followed just a few feet behind his back melted away the rest of his aura. The tunnel began to collapse around them and his vision darkened as he felt rocks and concrete fall all around and on top of him and Roman.

The sounds of Grimm fighting soldiers and getting up into Vale to cause chaos through the holes that were created by the chain reaction of explosions were all that he could hear before his vision went black completely.

* * *

**And that was that, there is one more chapter before the end of Volume 2 here, but I am pretty satisfied with this chapter. As you know, Neo and JNPR are not main characters in this story, I chose not to write too much in detail of them to save myself some time and stamina. However, the interactions between Marcus Qrow and Winter were all the priorities of this chapter, and then of course, the end of it when Ironwood and Penny made a surprise appearance.**

**I wonder how much worry I caused all of you guys just now… heh… don't worry, the next chapter is already planned and will soon be written. You'll get to see the aftermath of what just happened pretty soon.**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	23. Chapter 23

**Here we are again. Surprised? Yeah, I am sticking to that plan of mine and I am continuing this story with great interest! Last chapter received some really positive feedback and I thank you all for your interest in this story. Could you believe that I nearly shut this project down around the first couple of chapters? Yeah, me neither. I like this darker story too much, it's a welcome change compared to the more dramatic and comedic stories that I have going on at the moment.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 23**

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_When you're on your last legs… you view the world in it's most pure form. Reality…_

Qrow fought restlessly, his left arm was bleeding and he didn't have the strength on that side to use it, so he was fighting one-handedly with his weapon thankfully stuck in its sword form. Beside him, Winter was in a much similar state, though it was her right leg that was injured and bleeding. Unlike him, she actually had the strength to still use that limb, but she was draining fast. Her face was pale and her aura has been long broken because of the explosion, but she was still fighting with everything she had despite that, just like him.

The only one from Team JNPR that was able to stand with them was Pyrrha, with the others all being knocked out and injured from the explosion from the moment their train car derailed and crashed into the wall of the tunnel. None of them actually had the chance to go make sure that the other three weren't dead, the Grimm saw to that themselves and threw themselves at them like an unending tide of black death. There was no break to the action, Pyrrha was on the same last legs as they were, only she was poked full of holes as well.

He wasn't able to see her for himself, but he knew that the girl who worked with Marcus fought her whole team and probably won or was about to by the time the train blew up. In fact, they were all poked full of holes. Jaune was face down with his shield still strapped to his arm, but even unconscious he had his long arm around Ren and Nora. If it weren't for his armour and shield, they may have been injured even further by the falling rubble and debris that fell through the openings of the train. For that, he earned Qrow's respect, the kid deserved it for saving his teammate's lives like that.

Not like that would do anything for them now. The Grimm were coming in droves, and they opted to stay in the train car with the only entrance being the part that was blown off by the explosion that Marcus had set off. With Qrow, Winter, and Pyrrha being the only ones able to stand and fight, they were the first and only line of defense that prevented them all from being torn to shreds by the Grimm.

His vision began to darken even further, he was fighting purely off instinct, swinging his weapon at anything that didn't look human. He was sure that the other two were going through the same thing. This was their last stand against the Grimm, and their only hope was at the end of this tunnel hopefully coming after them. Their only shred of hope came in the form of a bright green light that nearly blinded them for a moment before it passed in just a few seconds. He didn't know how, but he knew that help was coming. They all did. It was the only reason they were able to steel their determination and will to live in the hopeless situation they were in right now at that moment.

Qrow screamed ferally as he cleaved another three Creeps in half. His weapon hand was slick with evaporating black blood, but his grip held true. Hefting it back up, he stabbed it into a charging Ursa minor, killing it before it could force all three of them back into the train for them to get slaughtered by its cousins. Seeing through his one open eye, the other being sealed shut by the fire that broke his aura and from dried blood, he saw that Winter was down on one knee. Her leg finally giving out. In one last-ditch effort to tell the entire Grimm race to fuck off, she stabbed the alpha Beowolf that tried to pounce on her right through its snout and up into its skull and brain, killing it instantly. What she didn't take into consideration was that its dead weight would continue to fall forward, and with no aura and a weak and injured body, it would kill her before it had enough time to evaporate.

Pyrrha Nikos saved her life before that could happen, throwing her shield and only means of defense into the dead alpha's side to force it off of her. But in doing so Winter also fell to the side with it, unable to wrench her sword out of its skull in time. Down and not getting back up, Winter failed to keep her consciousness and passed out.

Without her shield, Pyrrha was quickly pushed back, panicking and switching her spear into its sword form she used the flat side of it to hold back a furious Ursa. It's teeth and jaw crushed down on the blade, cutting its mouth on its edge but still doing its job in holding her locked down..

"Agh!" Pyrrha cried out as she slipped and fell down to one knee as well.

The Ursa, still alive, kept pushing down on her, and the Grimm made it no easier for her to fight back as they piled and piled onto the Ursa's back in an effort to overpower the champion. And since the Ursa was so big and blocked off most of the entrance, Qrow was in no position to help, especially when one of his arms was too injured for him to even move at the moment. Instead, all he could do was stab his thick sword into the floor after shifting it in a way that it's wide flat part helped block out the rest of the hole. To reinforce it further, it held his good forearm against it and _pushed _with everything he had left. More than sweat and blood slipped down his face and body as he continued to push back against the strength of the Grimm, and he quickly realized that if he didn't give out first, Pyrrha would.

This was it, it was either hold out long enough for help to arrive or die a painful and suffering death.

_At least the other four are unconscious so they won't feel what's about to happen… _Qrow thought in dark humor as he felt himself waver and shake. Any second now and he would be the next member of Team STRQ to bite the dust.

_I'm sorry Tai… Summer… even you Big Sis… looks like I won't be able to drag on my life any longer. _He thought sadly as his life flashed before his eyes. Suddenly he remembered everything, his childhood in the tribe with Raven, meeting and becoming partners with Summer and his best friend Taiyang, all the fun times he had with them and the missions that lied after. Of course, _he _had to be part of them, because no matter what he was now he couldn't deny that in the beginning, Marcus was his friend.

The weight against his body suddenly felt a thousand pounds lighter, it surprised him so much so that he fell forward with his sword because of the amount of strength he was drawing from his body. With grit teeth, he hurried himself back up and threw one last defying punch to the creature of darkness.

A human-sized hand caught it, and to his immense shock and surprise, the headmaster of Beacon was the wielder of the offending limb. "Qrow, it's me!" Ozpin yelled into his face.

"O-Oz?" As much as he was happy to see him, he was also confused.

"Yes, it's me, friend," Ozpin confirmed with a relieved smile. After looking to his left Qrow saw that the Ursa on top of Pyrrha was dead and she was being helped up by a team of students, a blonde monkey faunus and his blue-haired teammate. Behind them, the two members of their team were treating the other four downed huntsman with Atlesian students specialized in Medicinal and first aid practice.

He almost burst out crying, he didn't, but he came pretty damn close to it when he realized that they lasted long enough for help to indeed arrive. Ozpin helped him back up to his feet and helped him walk to one of the Atlesian medics, who was quick to put his injured and probably broke arm into a sling. He was then lowered back down to the ground gently, the last of his stamina and exhaustion finally getting to him.

He looked around and saw the last thing that he expected to see. Students from Beacon, Haven, Shade, and Atlas all fighting together and beating back the Grimm. There were plenty of pros as well like Glynda, Oobleck, and the other professors of Beacon. But outshining them all was the Ace Ops, a well known and renowned squad of Specialist huntsmen directly under Ironwoods command. The Grimm were quickly pushed back once they joined the battle, and soon he even saw Ironwood in the distance along with the android girl that he was told about as well. Even though some Grimm made it through the holes in the ceiling, they were killed off almost immediately. What he thought was going to be a disaster ending mission ended up becoming a very unexpected but not unwelcome success.

"H-How did you know?" Qrow asked, his confusion coming back to him. As far as he knew, this mission was supposed to be secret, it only got serious just a little over an hour ago when they found out about the train and it's purpose. Now, in the middle of the night, Ironwood and Ozpin formed an entire repel force battalion to not only stop the train, but go further _into _the dark tunnels in order to slaughter Grimm before they could get into the city and wreak havoc.

They knew that this was going to happen before it happened somehow, he didn't know how, but that was the only logical explanation that made sense.

"The pilot you contacted earlier contacted us in turn," Ozpin said, frowning slightly. "As well as a… anonymous tip-off."

"And… that is?"

"I did say anonymous, did I not?," Ozpin shook his head. "That doesn't matter right now, we have you, the students, and Miss Winter Schnee. You're alive and we are bringing you to the best hospital in Vale. Beacon."

Ozpin was usually depressingly bad at humor, but that got the slowly dying man to laugh.

"Heh… that was funny…" Qrow muttered as he began to fade into unconsciousness.

"He's not dead, but he's dying." The medic informed the headmaster before he could fear the worst. "Though if you have any questions regarding his mission I suggest you ask it now."

Ozpin wasted no time. "Marcus, do you believe him to be dead?"

Qrow was already unconscious and couldn't answer. Ozpin let out a very rare curse and stood up from his injured friend. After nodding to the medic to take him and the rest of Qrow's party to Beacon for treatment, he took his cane and held it in a much different matter, almost like he was preparing for a fight.

"Where are you going?" Glynda asked as he walked in the opposite direction of the Grimm and toward the second burning part of the train. She was with the other students and professors currently holding off the Grimm while performing a slow covered retreat.

"To make sure Marcus Black and Roman Torchwick are dead," Ozpin replied, never stopping as he made his way down the tunnel.

He had to make sure for himself, just as Salem would for him he wasn't dead unless she saw or absolutely knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was dead. Well, not _truly _dead, but his plans would be put off and it would be a real pain for him to reincarnate in a random body potentially all the way across the world from his allies. It was only ever a painful and torturous death when Salem actually managed to capture him. That was one mistake he'd sworn to never repeat. Taking a strategy from her book, he wouldn't believe that Marcus was dead unless he saw the body with his own eyes.

And he had good reason for it. It was himself that had a great hand in training the man after all.

He hated what he found when he finally got there. A body, but just a single one.

* * *

Everything hurt, every part of his body and even his robotic legs hurt. But somehow, he was still alive, and despite the broken bones and blood loss, through sheer will and determination, he was able to dig himself out of a pile of rocks from back within a train car that was now on its side. Every stone weighed like it was a car, and his arms were weaker than he ever felt them before. But he pushed through the pain and blood, and with a sheer cry of defiance, he forced himself into a sitting position.

Marcus looked around the inside of the capsized train car. Breathing deeply and painfully as he took in his surroundings. At first, he was confused because he could swear that he threw both himself and Roman _out _of train just before Penny's energy blast could hit it. So how were they in a different car now? It wasn't the frontal car, he knew that because of the lack of a control panel, so that meant this one had to be the car that was linked behind them. He didn't know the physics of it or how exactly it all happened, but somehow as the explosions were going off and in the collapsing of the tunnel the train must have flipped over on its side in such a way that his entire body was able to fit through the window of the train.

"Hah… I must have the best or worst luck ever." He said with a pained chuckle as he let his body fall forward so that he could get into a better position to stand. It was a painful process. He was only able to stand because of his bionic legs that were now exposed due to his torn and burned pants. Though he could definitely feel a cracked femur. Not to mention the broken bones in his upper body that had to be disturbing his internal organs in some way.

It was a miracle he was even able to stand. Much more so that he was actually able to survive a crashing train. Casting aside such notions of luck and fate, he started looking around for Roman. He remembered landing on top of the criminal before the blast hit the train so that meant that Roman had to be somewhere. He looked around for him, Roman had full aura and if he was able to survive this than he had to as well.

"L-Looking for me?" His voice called out to him.

Marcus turned to the man slowly, he was in a similar position that he was in, though he was on his front. His hat was missing and his white coat was torn every which way so much so that it couldn't even be considered clothing anymore, just scraps of white. His nose was bleeding and it looked like he was having trouble breathing. But that wasn't what Marcus was worried about.

His eyes slowly widened and he felt his heart drop in his chest as he saw what was really wrong with Roman. His legs, both of them, were missing. Bleeding stumps leaked blood and as he looked around more he could see the trail of blood from a different section of windows that was close to where Marcus managed to squeeze through. The criminal must have woke up before him, and after realizing that his legs were gone he crawled out of that hole and must have lost all of his stamina in the middle of the capsized train car.

"R-Roman…" Marcus choked out and gulped nervously, shaking as he began to make his way toward the criminal who was once his partner a long time ago.

"What's with… that look in your eyes?" Roman somehow managed to laugh in spite of all the pain he must have been feeling, and the loss of blood. His face was deathly pale and as Marcus got closer, he could see that the remains of Roman's aura was the only thing keeping him alive right now. "Lookin' like… you… actually _feel _something… Heh."

Marcus made it to his old friend and dropped to his robotic knees. He winced and grimaced as he flipped Roman over so that he could lie on his back and make it a little easier for him to breathe. The criminal cried out in pain, but stopped and breathed once his body was no longer being moved.

"Roman…" Marcus said, feeling a burning acid-like feeling behind his eyes. "You…"

"Yeah, I've noticed," Roman said with a cocky blood smirky. "Lost my legs, I can feel it. Or, well, what I can't feel. Is this what you felt? Holy shit…" He coughed up blood and gripped Marcus' shirt with his left hand, it was the only amount of support Marcus was able to subconsciously provide his old friend. "I can't even imagine the procedure to get those metal legs of yours… though I don't think I'll be as fortunate as you were back then."

"I can get you help," Marcus hurried. "I have some favors with the organization that I might still be able to call in, they could come in and get you the treatment you need."

"Yeah?" Roman smiled sadly at him. "Would they allow that… even though you were supposed to kill me?"

Marcus flinched as if he'd been slapped. "H-How-"

"C'mon man," Roman began to cry. "It isn't like I-I'm the smartest g-goddamn cr-criminal out there!" He cried out again as his wounds shifted. "Also… you kept looking at me with those sad eyes… like you felt guilty about something you didn't even do yet… I saw those same eyes when we were in our last year of Beacon before you lost your brother… Pretty sure Summer did too."

"I… I don't…" Marcus grit his teeth as he gripped Roman's shirt tightly. "I wasn't going to kill you… I never was." He finally admitted to himself, and to Roman. He was never going to hurt him, after everything they've been through, and already owing him so much for saving his life and taking care of him time and time again, and on top of that being the last other living member of Team Mobster from his past. It only helped Roman's case that everything he has been thinking about recently was directly related to that past. He just wasn't able to do it, not even now when all it would take was leaving him here to die. It was how he knew that they both knew that he cared. He wouldn't still be here by Roman's side if he didn't.

Through his tears, Roman looked shocked, and then he began to laugh again. "I knew it!" He bellowed painfully. "I knew you still cared. Man… if only this happened _before _I lost my legs."

"How did they know we were coming?!" Marcus cursed as he asked the question. His anger overpowering him for a moment as he punched the ground beside him. "This doesn't make sense… Cinder, she wouldn't just let this happen!"

"That… I'm afraid I don't have the answer for." Roman heaved, his aura was draining quickly, and the blood began to be lost at a much quicker rate. His green aura was already flickering around the bloody remains of his legs, and his skin got even more pale and even more so as the seconds ticked by. As the clock ticked, Marcus knew, and so did Roman.

He was going to die, and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

To make things worse, in a flash and out of the broken glass, Neo appeared out of thin air from within the train car. Lit by orange flames, her injuries were minor if any. She took one look at the situation and her usual calm and cocky persona was wiped away as she made the most noise Marcus thought he'd ever hear from her. She fell at Roman's side and balled her eyes, her voice coming out naturally as her mind fell further and further into a state of depression. The tears flowed out like a dam bursting, and Marcus felt his heart drop even further. He never thought he'd see her like this, much less actually feel bad about it.

His eyes widened with shock as Neo looked to him and drew her weapon. He was almost unable to dodge the point of her blade as she attempted to stab him in the heart and kill him. He fell back and when Neo tried to jump up and stab down at him, he caught the sword with his bare hands, holding it back with every ounce of strength that he had left, all the while Neo was snarling and screaming like a rabid animal.

"Neo stop!" Roman managed to catch her attention with his weak shout. "It's not his fault… Ack… it was never his fault…"

Again, he saved his life. Neo's strength weakened as she fell away from him, dropping her weapon as she did so. Marcus winced as his hands stung from the slash that cut into his flesh, and watched as it bled. His gloves that were so damaged that they were useless fell off as his hands shook. In a weird turn of events, Neo listened to some command that Roman gave her and she actually helped him back up and to Roman's side, sitting beside him like she didn't just try to kill him just now.

As much as he wanted to be angry about it, he couldn't. He understood why she reacted the way she did. She must have known that he was supposed to kill Roman.

"Sorry about her…" Roman held Neo's hand as he spoke, his voice was suddenly much weaker than before, and Marcus knew why, In a flash of green, Roman's aura just broke. "She doesn't get attached to much… I happened to be part of that…" A sad smile stretched across his lips as he looked to Neo, who was still crying by his side, her makeup flowing off her face with her tears. "Listen, you work with him from now on, okay?"

Neo nodded her head without question. Marcus didn't know what to say to that, Neo suddenly working under him was something he didn't expect to happen. But he wasn't in any position to deny her service.

"And you," Roman gripped his shirt again and pulled him closer. "Goddammit, get your head out of your ass already."

"W-What do you mean?"

"The hell do you think I mean?" Roman coughed out. His next words would be his last, Marcus was able to tell. He had one more good monologue to get through before the bastard would finally expire. Typical, Roman was always one for his dramatics and flash, it makes sense that in his dying moments he would make sure he gets one more speech out there. "You aren't what Cinder thinks you are… and I don't give a shit if you deny it, but I am damn well sure that Maddox was right about you." Marcus went tense at the mention of his lost brother. "And as your partner, I think I had a good grasp on you too. Don't bother arguing against it, you don't want to be the assassin feared all around the world, a _monster_ worse than the Grimm, do you?" Marcus remained silent, giving Roman his answer.

"Beacon was my home… our home… and I don't want to let Cinder destroy it." His grip on his shirt grew weaker, the tears in his eyes were drying as there was simply nothing left in him to let out. "Summer thought that there was still good in you, too," He rasped. "Honestly, I never shared that thought. You're not a good person, can't be after everything you did, but a good person isn't what is needed to stop Cinder, a _true_ monster. So, partner, bring out that huntsman within you, bring out all that rage you've been bottling up inside that fucked up head of yours and _kill her_. Kill that bitch for everything she's done to us and put a stop to her shitty plans."

Roman's hand fell from his shirt. "Then… do whatever you…" He wanted to say more, but he couldn't. It was a miracle he was even able to last that long with all the blood loss and wounds done to his body. But at last, he passed away before his old partner and most trusted friend, the last remaining member of Team Mobster other than Marcus, dead.

Marcus didn't know what to think, Roman always had a way of speaking, but in that moment of vulnerability he pulled out every insecurity that deep down he already knew that he had. He didn't want this… He just wanted to be free! He never wanted _any _of this. If he had it his way, his teammates would have never died. He would have never given himself to the organization, and his son and wife would still be alive.

Why… why did this always happen to him? Marcus let a single tear trickle down his face before wiping it away almost instantly. Beside him, Neo gripped his hand. Showing him her support as he gave her his in the form of a gentle squeeze. The mute then reached out her hand and shut Roman's blank eyes for him, granting him that small mercy.

There was nothing that could be done for him now, the message was clear. Even Neo saw that. Marcus let out a frustrated scream that lasted just a few moments and slammed his knuckles into the ground. He punched it three times before Neo stopped him, her wide eyes looking to him with concern as the skin of his knuckles were ripped off and left behind because of the force of his punches and lack of aura. With tear-stained eyes, Neo grabbed him and used her semblance. Instantly, the air around him no longer felt stuffy and hot and humid, but instead, it was cold and smelled and tasted salty. It was dark as well, and soon enough Marcus realized that they returned to the spot where he climbed on to after jumping out of the CCT from Beacon. Far away from the Vale breach.

He could still hear the sirens ringing out throughout all of Vale. Grimm was still getting into the city, probably a lot less now since they never got to the desired spot to actually blow up the train. But it was still a state of national emergency.

He and Neo lied next to each other for the next hour, him out of exhaustion and pain in nearly all factors. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. While Neo was purely out of sadness. She had just lost Roman, he never knew what kind of relationship that they had together, but no matter what they shared it must have been a very deep bond if it was able to break her down like that because of her loss.

Marcus… his mind was still racing. He had no idea what to do, he was so sure before but now that Roman has died and after what he just said to him… He felt _angry_. Pissed off. He thought about everything, Beacon, the assassins, his brother and father, his wife Olivia and his son Mercury. Everything that was ever good to him was yanked out of his grasp, though not entirely the fault of the world. He made choices, choices that he regretted and still did even now. Especially now more than ever.

One cut hand raised up and slapped against his face as he groaned. The voices returning, not proclaiming their own victory and rubbing it in his face. They knew it, they said. They were right, it pushed.

_What took you so long? _She asked.

"Neo," Marcus called out to the mute, who perked up at him calling her name. "Take me away to a place called the _Wearhouse_, I know a pair of twins who owe me a favor that they can't refuse. They'll help us."

Neo nodded her head but kept staring at him. She was waiting for him to tell her what they were going to do next, he could just tell with the look in her eyes that she was giving him.

Marcus sat up against the pain and nodded his head in confirmation.

"It's time I finally take the advice of an old friend…"

* * *

**Now, this was a chapter and a half, yet it was not as lengthy as the others. Though writing this definitely had as much or more impact than other chapters did. This marks the end of Volume 2, and next chapter we move on to Volume 3. If you think this last Volume was decent, just wait for everything that I am going to pull this chapter. It's going to be emotional, introspective, and impactful. Every scene is going to have these kinds of hints, but rest assured, they will be subtle. Now excuse me as I go through this chapter with anxiety to make double sure that I did everything right…**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**

**T wi tter .com (slash) genatools**


	24. Chapter 24

**And we are back! I have had enough time to plan the next few chapters in advance, so this story should be updated a lot pretty soon. Here's hoping anyway, I say a lot of things and other things happen that are not the original thing that I was referring to before. It's a thing. Sorry about that.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 24**

* * *

_Ever heard of lowest points? Well, that's a load of bullshit. There's always a lower point, you'd be surprised just how far someone can fall when they have nothing else to lose…_

Vale was in high alert and there were patrols full of Atlesian soldiers and Valean huntsman. There was no such thing as traveling safe when it came to moving Marcus, who was still so injured he could barely walk without her help. And she was running low on the aura, she was never able to even being recovering after what happened in those tunnels. It would have been so easy to just leave Marcus behind and escape Vale herself and go to a part of the world where not even Cinder and her allies would be able to find her. But she made a promise to Roman, a promise that she wouldn't break. As far as she knew, Marcus was her new boss now, and she was always loyal to those in charge of her.

Marcus groaned in obvious pain as he continued to hold on to his stomach. There were wounds that came from mostly all over his body and once the initial adrenaline wore off all the fatigue and pain finally settled in with a vengeance. It wasn't any wonder how Marcus was still alive after living through hours of pain and what should have been fatal wounds if left untreated for a certain amount of time. But assassins were trained to deal with such wounds, he could probably survive for another day or two and might even be able to force his body to move since he had bionic legs to carry his body weight. However, without proper medical treatment, he wasn't going to last much longer.

Neo groaned silently and hefted his heavy bodyweight back over her shoulders. It would have been easier if Marcus wasn't so freakishly tall that his legs practically dragged along the ground behind them as she dragged him on her shoulders.

She lightly jabbed her elbow into his side as she noticed his head dipping low as if he was losing consciousness. Not on her watch.

"Urgh," His pained groan let her know that he was still alive. "What is it?"

Neo gave him a knowing look and flicked her eyes to the street before them. Marcus looked ahead and around the surrounding area for any noteworthy familiarity that he could use to help guide them. Neo didn't know where she was going, she didn't know what the Wearhouse was nor where it was located. Marcus put the pieces together easily and did his best to go through his mental map of Vale to find the best path for them to take.

The underground tunnels were too risky, with him hurt and Neo low on the aura, any other assassin that they run into could easily have a change of heart and try to kill them both. Ironically, that made the surface area the safest approach they could take. Neo managed to get them to a relatively unpopulated part of Vale before finally stopping to take a breather.

"We're not that far away anymore," Marcus said as he strained his eyes in order to look at a sign. "Go down that alley, make a right, a left, through a valley with a blue dumpster on the left wall and then it's a straight toward the shop."

Neo nodded her head and gestured for him to stay quiet now. Being injured as he is, he couldn't waste any more energy telling her where to go lest he passes out and goes limp on her, which would just make things harder for everyone.

She followed her directions to the T. Being careful of patrol cars and sticking to the shadows and holding her breath in order to dodge a special operatives group of Specialist Huntsman and maneuvered her way through the locked-down sector of Vale until she came across a street with three alleyways on the other side. Only one of them having that key blue dumpster against the left wall.

Neo cursed internally when she saw a police car parked on the side of the road, two Huntsman looking around with sharpened glares for any radical movements. Of course, it couldn't be that easy, she wasn't going to be able to get past them with Marcus on her back and she was hoping to save the last of her aura for her semblance on the last stretch into this Wearhouse that Marcus told her about before. But she couldn't risk saving it now and getting caught. There was a difference between Huntsman and regular police officers, they could spot a dark spot in a bush and could tell that it was a Grimm and what kind of Grimm it was. Without her semblance and in their current state, they couldn't hope to get passed them in any reasonable amount of time.

So she used it and made herself and Marcus looked invisible to the naked eye and _bolted. _It was the middle of the night so there were no cars for her to worry about dodging. She sprinted past the two huntsman and crossed into the alley with the dumpster. After that, she saw it. A relatively average-sized building with a glowing white sign that said Wearhouse on it. Neo strained her aura and continued her sprint. A street never seemed so long to her, and it was probably that way because she knew that if her aura dropped before she got into the building, she and the injured Marcus would be caught by a chance glance or some camera off in the distance and they'd be stopped.

When she made it to the building right as her aura dropped her heart did as well, but in less than a second, she barged through the glass doors and slammed it shut behind her with her feet.

"What are you doing here?" A voice met her as soon as she let Marcus down. She spun around and instinctively drew her sword. The boy, girl, whoever it was simply stared at her from behind locks of black hair that covered their eyes.

"Marcus Black," This one, definitely a girl, remarked as she walked out from behind the first one.

"D-Daisy." Marcus groaned as he fought to stand on his own, wincing each inch he made his body rise.

"Tell the former assassin to holster her weapon," Daisy demanded. "To hold it against us is against our code, even as a former assassin she must abide by it."

"Stand down, Neo," Marcus said and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We can trust them… these are the ones who owe me a favor."

"You? A favor?" The first one chuckled darkly. "Forgive me, but I do not believe that you are in the current state _or _rank to be pulling favors from either of us, let alone both."

"It doesn't matter, I still held the rank of Master Assassin." Marcus pointed out. "And I very well remember saving both of your lives from another assassin who had a little issue with the wardrobe that you provided them. What was it, a clothing malfunction?"

"Our provided gear is state of the art, we do not have malfunctions in our product."

"Officially, yes." Marcus pushed on as confidently as he could. Like him and Neo, Daisy and her twin brother, also named Daisy for some reason or another, are trained assassins. They weren't the same kind of assassin he was but they created and provided new gear to the more traditional assassins like him that went out and fulfilled contracts. Some expected heat and needed a little extra armour or stopping power, others needed more of a stealthy approach and needed darker clothing or shapeshifting cloth. Which as one could imagine, is an experimental clothing that changes color according to one's surroundings. They were a crucial part of the organization, everything such as ideas, new gear, and especially Atlesian tech went through them first. Then they modified it in such a way that it was property of the organization. At day they were a simple clothing store for both civilians and huntsman, mostly low key. At night, they were providers of certain goods. "But that 'officially' could be very easily changed as you know. Because I am the one who helped you keep your little problem two years ago under wraps. What was the contract? Top secret or some bullshit like that."

They had one major weakness, however, and that was clear as the two twins scrunched up what was revealed of their faces with contempt as he brought up their one mistake. They were way too prideful and saw themselves as perfectionists who could do nothing wrong.

"And what would you be asking of us, assuming that we would accept your request?" The male Daisy asked.

"I need medical aid," Marcus said, gesturing to his still bleeding wounds. "And a place to rest for about a week or so. I need to recover my aura and heal my wounds quickly before I can continue Anon's task for me."

"We are aware of said task," The girl Daisy remarked calmly. "Have you finally started it?"

Marcus glanced at Neo and she nodded her head, reassuring him to go on with his idea.

"Roman Torchwick is dead," Marcus told them. "I'm sure you've heard the news. Died in a train crash as a result of an ambush. He would have lived if it weren't for me," He lied expertly. "All it took was one shot to the back of the head when he wasn't expecting it., and then let the train do the rest of the work."

"Why would Neopolitan be working with you?" He was immediately questioned. "It was well known who was the muscle for the criminal, and from certain rumors, it was whispered that she was involved with him in more ways than one." Thankfully, he already had a response prepared for that.

"He had blackmail on her," Marcus placed a hand on Neo's shoulder to put up a show of her agreeing with him but secretly so that it would be easier for him to stand up straight.. She hid her disdain and emotions from Roman's death very well, and she nodded her head and smirked. Reinforcing the lie that they have prepared beforehand for this moment. "No Torchwick, no more blackmail. All evidence of it was destroyed."

"We see." The Daisy's looked to each other and mumbled. Trying to come up with a decision.

"If it helps, Qrow Branwen and Winter Schnee were gravely injured in the train crash as well," Marcus said with a cocksure smile. "With any luck, a good amount of people on Anon's list are taken care of."

They didn't reply, but they didn't need to. They heard him and that was all that Marcus needed from them. His eyes felt heavy and his vision started to darken, beside him, Neo was getting more and more tense the longer it took for the Daisy's to make a decision. He tightened his grip on her softly, warning her not to do anything reckless. They needed the Wearhouse. If they couldn't get their support, then they would be caught and probably killed before they would even get to a court hearing.

He hated needing help from others, it always meant owing them something. He already owed Neo because of Torchwick, and he was banking on the Daisy's to not try and hold this over him in the future. If things worked out well, he'd get the medical treatment he needs and he'd never see them again.

When they both nodded their heads and looked back at them, Marcus felt his heart skip a beat.

"Because of your rank of Master Assassin," He let out a visible sigh of relief. "Whether it is former or no, we must uphold to your favor because of what you've done for us prior. As a condition, however, all favors and dues will be paid over in full and forgotten. This is a deal or no deal negotiation. Choose."

"I don't care, I accept." Marcus stopped hiding his pain and stumbled forward. "Just get me some damn help."

Male Daisy nodded and caught him by the shoulder, his twin sister going over to his other side and helping him on that side. Neo followed closely as they guided him to a row of clothes full of shirts on one side and pants on the other. All perfectly organized from the lightest shades of color to the darkest. They came to a stop a little bit less than halfway down the aisle, and both Daisy's held out their hands and grabbed the same shirt. Marcus was unsurprised by the rift that they tore open in the space where the shirt used to be, but he could tell that Neo was shocked at the utter unbelievable semblance that the twins managed to manifest.

There was no time to ask questions about it, however, on the other side of that rift was a bed and medical supplies beside it. The female Daisy walked in and helped Marcus through, then gestured for Neo to step in as well.

"I will spend seven days and seven nights treating your wounds with the best medicine and supplies we have to offer," Daisy said as her brother closed the rift behind them. "I can promise that your wounds will close once again before that time is up, but your aura is up to your own will. Will Neopolitan be needing treatment as well?"

"N-no," Marcus said as he laid in the bed.

Neo nodded her head in confirmation when Daisy looked back at her. She had no visible wounds, she was only out of aura. Which wouldn't take long to recover as long as she let her body rest and allow her soul to rejuvenate her aura.

"Alright then," Daisy prepared a syringe and made sure that there were no air bubbles in the light blue serum within the syringe. "This serum will make you sleep for the better part of the week. If there are any special requests that you want to make, make them now."

"If you have time, make sure my leg prosthetics are in good shape." Marcus requested.

Daisy looked down at his revealed legs and nodded her head. "I will do what I can, but I am no engineer." She said as she injected the serum into his arm.

Marcus winced at the searing pain as he felt the serum inject into his veins and get into an artery. The cool liquid worked it's way throughout his arm and shoulder before it got into his heart. Once it got there, he could feel his body falling asleep. The last thing he saw was Daisy putting on medical protective latex gloves and Neo taking a seat in a chair on the other side of the bed before everything went to black.

Unfortunately, his week-long sleep wouldn't be without its usual complications.

He could already feel the dream coming along, and it wasn't going to end anytime soon.

* * *

"Did you guys hear the news?" Yang asked her sister and Weiss as she laid down on her back looking at her scroll. Once she read the title of the latest scoop, she snapped up into a sitting position and pointed her scroll to the side so the others could see. "There was an ambush set up by the Headmaster and the General of Atlas, they managed to stop a terrorist attack that Marcus was involved in!"

That got her teammates attention and they suddenly paid a lot more attention to the news. The news went on to explain what had almost been a tragedy for all of Vale when one of the supposedly decommissioned trains in Mountain Glenn was repaired by the White Fang and Roman Torchwick and was filled with tons of dust and explosives. Their intention was to blow holes in the ruined city of Glenn and attract the Grimm and then blow another massive hole in Vale in order to cause chaos and take lives. The ones who were involved were, of course, the White Fang, Roman Torchwick, Neopolitan, and lastly, Marcus Black.

However, they were disappointed to hear that the one man who hadn't caused them an extreme amount of trouble was the one who was killed. Where Roman's body was found and confirmed dead, among the debris Marcus Black and Neopolitan was nowhere to be seen. Team RYS' excitement to hear of his demise was quickly diminished as the rest of the news hit them square in the gut. Qrow Branwen and Winter Schnee and Team JNPR who were all sent on a training mission to Glenn found the train before it started and attempted to stop it but ultimately failed. Their conditions are all critical, and Pyrrha Nikos, Mistrals champion, had yet to awaken from her stress-induced coma.

"No…" Ruby said as the tears already began to form. "Why… why them?"

"T-they're still alive," Weiss pointed out, barely keeping it together herself. "There's nothing for us to worry about, it says here that they are getting the best treatment that Beacon can offer them. They'll be okay… They'll be okay." She repeated for her own benefit more than the others. She wasn't as close with JNPR as her other teammates were, at least not before Blake was killed. But they were always there for them when they needed them, and in these recent times, Weiss, like the rest of her team started to cling to them, worried for them. To hear this terrible news was just as impactful for her as it was for Ruby and Yang.

"Yeah, you're right," Yang pulled her sister and Weiss into a group hug. "They're all okay, and we'll see them as soon as we can. Right?"

"Of course," Ruby said as she nodded against her sister's chest. "As soon as we're allowed too, I'll talk to Ozpin about it when I can."

"Yeah…" Yang hugged them closer to her, tightening her hold.

Together, they would get through this, they all silently promised each other that weeks ago.

Ruby couldn't help but notice that everything about her life started to fall apart the moment Marcus Black barged into Vale. She didn't say this to Yang or Weiss, not even Qrow or the rest of her friends. But she _hated him_. She _hated _him for taking her semblance, for Weiss losing her sword, for giving her sister a concussion and for murdering Blake. She hated him for just then hurting her other friends along with her uncle and Weiss' sister. Was there just no end? When was he going to stop?

She swore that if Vale and Atlas didn't deal with him first, then _she _would. Semblance or not, he always hesitated before it came to hurt her, she could just use that to her advantage if she had to. She's being training relentlessly after all, so much so that her muscles hurt even now. She didn't need her semblance to be useful, she'd prove that. she'd prove that to him, to the headmaster, to her team, to _everyone_.

She swore that she would stop him.

* * *

Ozpin stopped himself before he could knock on Team RYS's dorm room door. He managed to hear the last few sentences right as he got there, and he couldn't bring himself to bring even more bad news to them.

They already knew the worst parts. Qrow Branwen and Winter Schnee and their friends were in critical condition but are being treated. But Pyrrha Nikos… his choice of Fall Maiden, was still unconscious and has been since they took her to the hospital. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, only that her aura readings were off the charts, and not in a good way. Always staggering between empty and about a tenth of the way full.

He feared that Pyrrha came into contact with Marcus. He couldn't think of any other reason for this. He's had the displeasure of seeing Marcus' surviving victims in the form of Ruby Rose after she lost her semblance and Blake Belladonna in her fight against him in the CCT the day of the dance. Ruby's aura readings were the same once Qrow found her without her semblance, always staggering from empty to about an eighth of the way full for a few days until she was able to stabilize.

Pyrrha might have lost her semblance. Or at least partially. He wouldn't know until she woke up. He's never witnessed someone getting their semblance partially stolen, but if anyone could do it, even if it was by accident, it would be Marcus Black and his one of a kind semblance.

If Pyrrha lost her semblance, then making her the maiden would bring much more risk than originally planned. She'd still become the maiden and he would give the offer to her as soon as she wakes up, but she'd be less than half as powerful as he'd want her to be than if she had her semblance and became the maiden.

To his immense anger, Ozpin couldn't find Marcus' body, nor that of his associate, Neopolitan. Call him paranoid, but he'd never believe that Marcus Black was dead until he saw the body for himself or if enough time passes that it would be impossible for the assassin to be a threat anymore.

When he made it back to his office he was met with James, who shared his fears and frustrations and went even beyond that.

"How!?" The General asked as he slammed his fist, the bionic one, into his desk. "How could someone not only survive a train crash but also manage to escape from it while being undoubtedly wounded!? HOW?"

"Calm down, James," Ozpin tiredly told the General. "There's only so much we can do, and I did warn you that Marcus Black is very good at his job. He's probably escaped worse."

"Don't sing his praises, not now."

"I'm not." Ozpin's stone-cold tone had Ironwood shutting his mouth. "I am simply stating a matter of fact. We need to be able to face them, because if we can't take down a simple man, then how can we even begin to hope to take down Salem once and for all?" The old headmaster lectured him. "As much as I hate to admit it, my former student has proved himself to be much more dangerous than I thought him to be. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain, which makes him ten times more dangerous than any other human opponent. He's a psychopath."

"No, Tyrian Callows is a psychopath," Ironwood said through gritted teeth. "_He _doesn't make mistakes or allow himself to be cornered for long."

It was all a matter of perspective, Ozpin supposed. A psychopath didn't necessarily have to be a man like Tyrian, a man who seeks out danger and enjoys bring harm to others. Arthur Watts is a psychopath, and so is Hazel Rainart. They are both human and aren't nearly as insane as Tyrian is. Yet they are willing to sacrifice all of humanity to the Grimm if it meant getting their revenge. Marcus Black was a different breed of psychopath. He just didn't care. He didn't care for anyone but himself. Once upon a time, he wasn't like that, but the past was the past. The friends he promised he would protect two dozen years ago were now swearing to hunt him down and kill him. He would take semblances from anyone who stands in the way of what little he cares about, even from children like Ruby Rose. Even going as far as to murder them to send a message. Even if they managed to take him down, kill him, or capture him. What would that do besides make the world safer from just another killer? He wouldn't feel regret, remorse, or guilt. Such feelings weren't capable of forming within his mind anymore. He would just cease to exist, and something about that angered him. Nothing he could do to punish Marcus would mean anything if Marcus didn't care for it at the very start.

"Roman Torchwick was just a single piece in his game," Ironwood went on. "Just a pawn, expendable."

"I disagree," Ozpin said, Ironwood waited for him to explain. "Roman Torchwick may have been a pawn for him, but that doesn't mean that they weren't friends. Roman is- was, the last remaining member of Team Mobster, and he was Marcus' partner when he was still a student here at Beacon. They both abandoned the path of a huntsman after the tragedy of Mountain Glenn for similar reasons. Marcus lost his brother and therefore had no other reason to stay, and Roman was angry at the world and society for deeming it necessary and acceptable to kill all those people and huntsman and sweeping it under the rug. As heartless as Marcus may be, I do believe that he still valued Roman as a friend at the very least."

"Let's move on to the assumption that your hypothesis is correct. If you are right and Marcus did care for Roman, then that means that we've made a grave mistake not killing him when we could." Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because we may have well just made this personal for him."

"Yes…" Ozpin sighed and shook his head. "We very well may have…"

* * *

A week passed and Marcus started to stir, his body was sore from all the treatment that Daisy put him through in order to heal his body, but he was thankful that it was a different kind of pain. A pain that told him that he was getting better instead of worse. His mind was still wracked with pain from the dreams he was forced to go through, all of the memories from his time at Beacon came back in full force, he wasn't repressing them anymore because there was just no need to. He knew what he did, and he knew what he was going to do now. Hiding it was pointless, and the lingering part of Summer's soul that lived within him made sure to constantly remind him about that.

He groaned as he tried pushing himself up to get a better angle to see what his surroundings were. He was still in the same room that Daisy brought him in earlier, and he was still in the same bed. Though he was wearing no clothes. It didn't bother him, he knew Daisy wouldn't have done anything like that and it was probably necessary in order to treat all of his wounds properly. At least he was covered by a blanket and she was kind enough to leave an extra set of clothes behind.

There was a note on the pile of clothes that were left for him, left by a 'Daisy M.'

"_See this as a final parting gift to you, Marcus Black. I thank you for what you have done for us in the past, but I am afraid that we can never be seen with you again. Use this room as long as you'd like, the heat on your head is much too substantial to safely be around the Wearhouse and not expect trouble. _

_As a parting gift, and a goodbye, I made an upgrade to your clothing. According to my sister, your previous gear was terribly out of date. Unbefitting of a former Master-ranked Assassin. We left your pistol since it seemed you were attached to it according to the engraving M.B. on its side. But in this pile underneath this note is the most up to date gear I was able to put together for you._

_I hope it serves you well, don't let either of us see you again. _

_From, The Wearhouse."_

"Heh," Marcus took the note and ripped it apart. "Thanks, you little freaks." He whispered to himself as he let the pieces of paper fall to the ground, forgotten.

His wounds were definitely taken care of, there were still a few stitches here and there around his body, but he healed quickly. That was the pure skill of the female Daisy. She was able to put someone back together so easily, and the serums that she was able to create almost completely out of scratch was nothing short of a miracle. He was healed for the most part, but he could feel that his aura was still recovering. Something any human couldn't help was diverting strength from their aura to heal their wounds and also regenerate it at the same time. It just wasn't efficient, if he could control it he'd rather make his aura regenerate all the way before letting it heal the rest of his body. But such was probably too much to ask for. He never had time to specifically train on how to use his aura as more than just a shield, he spent too much time training and learning how to kill and all the basics about how to be an assassin to worry too much about it. Why would he have to when he was hardly caught in the first place? The only time it caused trouble was when a huntsman was around, but his offensive training was usually more than enough to take care of them.

He'd have to rest in bed for another day or so as he recovered the rest of his aura. He wasn't about to go out at half strength like this, not when Ironwood had Vale on high alert and had Huntsmen all over the place hunting him down. It was a recipe for disaster.

The sound of sniffling beside his bed grabbed his attention. If he didn't already know that it was Neo he might have reacted differently. But as he looked over, he saw something he never thought he'd ever see in his life. Neo was crying, holding a bowler hat in her hands as the tears dripped off her face and landed on said hat.

It was Roman's hat, Marcus recognized it immediately. His eyes softened and he felt his heart squeeze at the sight of it. He always wore that hat, he bought it from a store in Vale as a joke and he just kept it around for old times sake. Seeing Neo clutching it between her hands and crying on it just brought those memories back to life.

Roman… he was his partner, his friend. Marcus never forgot about him, he was the one person he left on good terms with before he became a full-time assassin for hire. It would have been twenty-odd years before he saw him again, after being revealed to be working with Cinder Fall along with most of the White Fang he seemed to make it his mission to bug him as much as possible. _Well, aren't you a sight for perfectly healthy eyes? _He remembered Roman saying when he first saw him, after all that time.

He chuckled at the memory. Roman was always lighthearted, even up to the moment of his death.

Marcus reached over and put his hand on Neo's shoulder, and threw his legs over the bed while keeping the covers on his lower boy to hide his modesty. Neo looked up and at him, into his black sorrowful eyes, and hung her head again. It was almost invisible, but Neo accepted his support as she cried a little more silently and leaned into his hand. He wasn't any good at comforting people, hell, he spent his entire life learning how to do anything _but _comfort people. That didn't mean he wouldn't try, however. Neo clearly needed someone right now, and it sucked for her that he was the only person in her life that she could lean on right now. And only because he used to be Roman's best friend.

"We have to go soon," He said softly as he squeezed her shoulder. "I'm going to rest for another day. But after that, we are going to be put on the clock." Neo looked up at him with a tearstained face, silently asking him what he meant. "I meant what I said when we escaped that train wreck. I am going to start sticking to my promises for once."

His face twisted with a certain memory. "It's all I have left now, and you want to avenge Roman… right?"

Neo nodded her head without question.

"Good… because I do too. And I happen to know who was the one who forced him into this in the first place." Marcus snarled. "All our lives, we lived to appease those who trained us. My father forced me to become an assassin, and the world made Roman into a criminal. Cinder forced us to work under her, manipulated us, used us. No more. I won't let it happen anymore." Marcus looked straight into Neo's eyes. "I don't know about you, but I think it's time to use these skills that we were taught for our _own _reasons. Don't you agree?"

Neo hesitated, knowing where he was going with this. She might have not agreed with him and he'd never know if she was just still here because it was Roman's last wish for her or if she just wanted revenge for his death but that didn't matter. She wiped the tears off her face and nodded her head again. Giving him her answer.

"I know just where to start…" Marcus continued. "But I am going to need your help, I won't be able to do this alone. It might still be impossible, but I've lived this long so far. So I'm going to make the best of what time I have left."

"Before we can get to Cinder we have to make sure that we won't just be forced back into the organization. In order to do that… well… there won't be an organization to be forced back to if there wasn't one, to begin with."

Neo widened her eyes with shock, she moved one hand up and spoke to him in sign language. Asking him if he was really going to go throat with that idea.

"Yeah," Marcus said in a low growl. "Yeah, I am going to go through with that idea. Let's go visit a few old friends Neo. I have just the plan, but it's going to take everything in order to do this."

"We're going to need an army, and thankfully, I have the number to _two_."

* * *

**Oh ho ho! What could Marcus possibly mean by that? I guess we'll have to wait and see until future chapters to find out. Ooo I am tingling with excitement! This is the part of the story I was looking forward to the most, just wait and see what I mean. You'll understand.**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	25. Chapter 25

**Here I am again and here we go, nothing else to say.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 25**

* * *

Cinder was nervous. On edge. Emerald was able to see it in her eyes and the way she carried herself not with her usual pride and prance. But with caution, as if she expected a shadow to jump out at her. It only got worse when Neo didn't come back as they all expected her to. With Roman dead, which was something that was _not _part of the plan nor was it intended, she would have thought that the next person she'd go to would be Cinder. It was one of her contingency plans just in case the master criminal made a mistake and lost his life as a result. Which could only mean one thing when Marcus didn't call back either.

Marcus wasn't dead, that was just a fact. If he died in that ambush that not even Cinder saw coming, the news would have been made public and even then it wasn't like they'd be able to hide it if they could. Marcus was a powerful villainous figure in Vale. Someone that all of the citizens hoped would be brought down eventually. The fact that no such news has come out means that Marcus was still alive. Which was the prime reason for Cinder — and herself — to start worrying about what he could be doing…

"He still hasn't called or texted," Emerald reportedly in as soft a voice as she could. Cinder rounded on her with angry flames in her eyes and she flinched, almost prepared to be slapped just for speaking without being spoken too first.

Cinder looked away and let out a low growl as she continued pacing back and forth through their Beacon dorm room that they were given as transfer students. Hearing about the ambush was shocking. At first, she thought that Cinder intended to get rid of Marcus since it was obvious that he didn't really want to be around them or help them with their plans, and was only doing it for the reward that came out at the end. But when she looked to see how Cinder would react to the news of a failed breach and the one who was behind it, her eyes were wide and for the first time since Emerald met her in that alley, she saw the genuine shock in her eyes. Maybe there was some fear as well, fear for Marcus and him thinking that she just tried to get rid of him right then and there, and honestly, she wouldn't blame her. It was made clear after their little sparring match that Cinder would lose against him if she didn't have her maiden powers. He was just that good. That dangerous. That skilled. Cinder respected him for it, and honestly, she did as well.

Respected him enough to worry about him as a potential threat, it seemed. Even in Beacon, they knew that they weren't really safe from him if he wanted to kill them. He was the guy who went into Atlas and into the Schnee Manor itself to assassinate members of the Schnee family, politicians, relatives of council members and was able to escape _multiple times_. Emerald made a safe guess in assuming that was why Cinder wanted him to join them so badly, his skills were not something that could be overlooked.

It was why Ozpin was tearing up all of Vale and used his power as the headmaster of Beacon and as a member of the council of Vale to use his authority in recalling most of Vale's huntsmen. Or at least the huntsman that weren't already on a mission and were preoccupied for the time being. More huntsman meant more people to look out for. One, two, or even four didn't pose that much of a threat to a maiden. But a dozen? Two dozen? More? And even a full-powered maiden Cinder wouldn't be able to beat them all by herself. Their plan to let Marcus take all of the heat for Cinders actions backfired on them, and it backfired hard. The students weren't allowed to leave their rooms unless it was for classes, and if they really needed to go somewhere they needed to be watched. A tracker would be placed on their scroll. Since she and Cinder were currently posing as students, they were forced to abide by their rules.

"C-Cinder," Emerald hesitantly called to her. "What do we do?"

"We can't do _anything _right now, girl." Emerald winced at her tone. "We can't leave without drawing attention to ourselves and after what happened we very well may have lost Marcus as an ally and gained a very dangerous enemy." The fact that she sounded more worried about Marcus more than the headmaster of Beacon spoke volumes.

"What about the White Fang?" Emerald asked. "Adam, we just spoke to him the other day. The Vytal Festival is starting soon, even if Ozpin managed to get it delayed it was only by one day. We still have half a dozen backup plans that we can use."

"I am aware," Emerald praised herself internally when she saw how Cinder took in a deep breath and relaxed. "Adam called us to complain that Marcus killed off the one girl that he's been hunting down ever since she abandoned their cause. He seemed to be angry, but not with us. After calming him down, I was able to come to another agreement. If Marcus became an enemy, he'd be the one to destroy him."

"Do you think he can win?"

Cinder laughed. "Absolutely not." She shook her head. "Only if he managed to catch him off guard with that semblance of is. He is good, I admit, but he is two decades too early to try and take on Marcus Black."

"So… what do we do?" Emerald asked again. "Do you still want Marcus to be an ally? Or is he considered an enemy at this point?"

"Of course I'd like for him to be an ally." Cinder said, looking to her as she spoke this time. "He is an invaluable asset that should not be lost. However, I am not as daft as to not think of some ways he can be taken down if the need had arisen. Of course, you stand no chance against him and I don't want to take any chances myself. But there is _someone _I think would have a good chance to take him down." She smiled as she stroked the underside of her chin, apparently pleased with herself. "He is just as old and perhaps just as skilled and if what Salem told me about him is true, he is one of the very small amount of people which the _organization _absolutely refuses to accept a contract on."

Emerald widened her eyes. "You mean-"

"Yes, child. I do mean Tyrian." Cinder confirmed, her smug smirk returning as she faced her. "Though I will not get hasty just yet. There is always a chance that Marcus and Neo are simply resting and recovering from a train crash. I can't expect them to come out of a train crash completely unscathed can I? I'll give them two more days to be generous, after that they are declared neutral unless they make it clear that they are no longer under our control."

Emerald nodded her head. Accepting Cinder's word as law. Marcus was the closest to… well, she didn't want to say, _friend_. But it wasn't like he was completely unbearable all the time. She was reluctant to work with him at first, but after living up to everything she's heard about him and saving her life multiple times, she felt that she could trust him at least a little bit. Even if he did beat her within an inch of her life. If only for a decent enough reason.

"Keep trying to get in contact with him through your scroll," Cinder demanded as she sat down on her bed placed in the corner of the room. "In the meantime, we will abide by Beacons rules. I'll speak to Adam later, and once this petty curfew is lifted and the Vytal Festival is among us, we shall enact our plans."

"I _will _get the rest of the maidens powers, and I don't care who I have to get through or how many people need to be destroyed in order to receive it."

* * *

Qrow stretched his arms over his head and winced as a stab of pain lanced down his side. Still not a hundred percent, he guessed correctly. But he was in good enough shape to move around his hospital room without the help of one of the nurses. He just wanted some booze to help the time go by faster, but the stupid little nurse just _had _to confiscate it and feed him bullshit on how it's for his own good and all that crap. Fuck, he hated being sober.

He was only able to rest once he'd made sure that Winter and the others that were with him during that botched raid on the train in Glenn were all okay. Amazingly, no one died. Only that the kids were still charing their auras and that Pyrrha and Winter were still knocked out from the crash. Though Winter was making a speedy recovery. He was still worried about Pyrrha. She was unfortunate and unlucky enough to cross blades with Marcus himself, and he saw that she got grabbed after being absolutely destroyed by him. He wondered if that did anything to slow down her recovery, but he doubted it since he didn't see any aura flash besides Marcus being kicked in the balls. Heh, he was looking forward to bringing that up as much as he could if he ever saw that guy again.

He cursed and scrambled back into his bed when he heard the door handle to his room jiggle as someone made to open it. By the time it was opened, he was already lying back in his bed with the sheets pulled up over his lower half with the pillow just above his back as he sat up straight. He relaxed when he saw that the person visiting this time was not the nurse that stopped him from drinking all the time and took his flask away.

"You don't need to hide from me Qrow," Taiyang said with a shake of his head as he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

Qrow's eyes widened upon seeing him. "Tai!?"

"In the flesh," Tai said as he spread his arms out to the side, presenting himself as he made his way toward his old partner. "I'd ask how you've been, but I've already heard all about it from Ozpin."

"Heh," When he got close enough, Qrow bumped his fist against Tai's and let him take a seat in the chair beside his bed. "I haven't seen you in almost a year, I knew you were at Beacon but…" He looked away and frowned.

"I wasn't about to _not _visit you after you nearly died, Qrow," Tai said with a shake of his head. "No matter how or what I feel about you, you're still my best friend."

Qrow looked back his way and nodded his head. After Raven abandoned the team right after Yang was born, and after Summer died, Tai and he had a strenuous relationship at best. Qrow felt sorry that he couldn't convince Raven to stay after she told him about her plan to leave and he also felt sorry for letting Summer go on that stupid personal mission of hers by herself which lead to her death by the hands of someone they shouldn't have held up faith on. After hearing of both occasions, he was not only angry that _both _his wives went to Qrow rather than him about something so serious without even letting him know about it until they were already gone. And it got even worse when Raven never came back and when Summer came back dead in the arms of an assassin. Qrow was only able to stay around for Ruby and Yang, if it weren't for them, Team STRQ probably would have broken apart for good.

"We're the only ones left…" Qrow sighed to himself quietly.

"What happened?" Tai asked, hearing him but electing not to comment on it just yet. "I heard the whole spiel from Ironwood and Ozpin, but I'd rather hear it from you."

"Still not on good terms with them?"

"Ever since I lost Raven and then Summer from being employed by him, I'm not afraid oo be frank about that," Taiyang said honestly. "And now almost you," He added gruffly. "My entire team has been picked apart because of this shitty war, I left because I couldn't imagine leaving Yang and Ruby alone in a world like this. I hoped that you'd retire soon too…"

"You know I can't do that, Tai," Qrow replied gruffly. "I may have done that before, but I can't now. Not with Marcus back and Vale in the shitter."

"I know, which is why I'm not going to disrespect you and ask you to retire now. I would even come out to fight with you but…" Tai sighed and rubbed a hand down his face.

"Yeah," Qrow nodded his head, understanding what Tai meant. The girls weren't in that good a shape after what happened to their other teammate. They needed support, and Tai needed to be there for them lest they break under the mourning of the loss of a teammate. Something Tai and Qrow knew understood better than most after losing Raven and Summer in two different ways. "I get that."

A tense moment of silence reigned on for about a minute.

"I found the train underground in my bird form during one of my patrols," Qrow began, answering Tai's earlier question. "I patrolled every night trying to find if there was anything that the White Fang was hiding, I didn't expect to see Marcus there, but I found him and his fucking eagle eye found me. After that, we had to rush over there as fast as we could and dig our way through one of the subway entrances. Long story short, we had to attack the White Fang while we had the chance and Marcus was as much of a bitch to fight as he was twenty years ago. He's better than me, Tai, better than me and Winter. We might have been able to beat him under normal circumstances together, but he was good at fucking around with us. Tricked us into attacking him and thinking that we were about to take him down right before he blew up one of the train cars right underneath us." Qrow gripped the blanket that was over him and ripped it in his anger. "Damn near got the entire team killed because I wanted to get revenge on him… A group of kids are all in critical condition because of me… All because I was too _stubborn _to notice how his partner who was just as good as he is tearing apart the kids right under _our goddamn noses!" _

"Qrow," Tai reached out to his partner and caught him before he could fall off the hospital bed. "Calm down, you told me this once and I am going to throw it right back at you now, you can't always control what goes through your head. I would have done the same thing if I were in your position. Even then, at the end of the day, those kids are _alive_." He gestured toward his arm, being held together by a cast. "You damn near destroyed every bone in that arm to keep it that way. And for that, I respect you more than I ever have before."

"Wow, that hurts and makes me feel better at the same time," Qrow said as he steadied himself.

Taiyang laughed. "Heh, you know me. I was never good at making people feel better…"

Memories flashed through his head. He was in a hospital room, right after the events of Glenn. Amazingly, he and his team managed to get through it without any major injuries. He couldn't say the same for others. Others like Team Mobster. Roman had never returned to Beacon, so that left Marcus completely by himself, missing both of his legs, and after watching two of his teammates dying and being torn apart by the Grimm. They tried visiting him, not even Raven was able to stay cool upon seeing him. He was like a completely different person. Never replied with more than two words, always dodging questions or just remaining silent and even asked them to leave a few times. Not even Summer was able to get through to him.

He had a chance though. Had. He found Marcus' note before he left and tried to confront him about it, but he was never good with words, and nothing he could say would have convinced him to stay. He felt guilty about that, especially when he had to break the news to Summer and Raven, the latter being fairly close to him and the former being _very _close to him.

And now look at what happened…

"This is the second team he is tearing apart," Taiyang said, feeling ever so tired as he sat further into his seat. "I hoped that Ruby would never have to feel what I felt. Team STRQ was the best coming out of Beacon out of any other, we _were _the best at everything. Then… _he_ happened."

"And now he's doing it again, I'm sure Ruby and Yang's team would have followed in our footsteps but this time he nipped the bud before it could even grow to become strong. And this time I know _for sure _that it's his fault. I can't sit around and let the world evolve around me anymore. I can't just sit back and be an observer. Qrow, I am going to come back as a huntsman." Qrow widened his eyes at the declaration. "At least until I know my girls are going to be safe in Vale to continue and finish their training in Beacon."

"A-are you sure?" Qrow asked. Tai once swore never to become an active huntsman again, so hearing this from him was shocking. Especially since it most certainly meant that he was going to have to fight Marcus at some point or another if the Ace Ops couldn't get to him. "No offense man, but you are out of practice. Like, _hard _out of practice."

"Hey, I've been keeping up on my training." And it wasn't a lie, despite being in his mid-forties, Taiyang was as fit as any huntsman fresh out of Beacon and in the prime of their life. Most men would dream of having a body like him if they could choose. "I'm not about to be a burden on anyone, and unlike most, I don't have a semblance to steal in the first place."

That was what made Taiyang so amazing. He didn't ever unlock his semblance. Oh, he was sure that he had one and could unlock it if he wanted to. But one of his things that were just a part of his character was refusing to ever get it. All the other students had one, super speed, super strength, elemental energy control, all sorts of stuff like that. Him? He was just skilled, and his strikes were precise and planned. Still, the lack of a semblance held him back and he was never the best of their year much less of the school or Vale, but he was still up there. Maybe, just maybe, a person without a semblance could really catch a certain semblance stealer off guard... That is if he didn't already know Tai beforehand.

"Heh, well then I'd love to offer you a drink in celebration, but I'm afraid that the nurse _stole _the flask Summer got me," Qrow said as he indignantly crossed his arms and pouted like how any normal grown man would. "The perfect occasion for it too, you finally started talking to me again instead of just glaring."

"You insult me, Qrow," Taiyang smirked and reached into his coat, pulling out a long yet subtle bottle of wine. It wasn't booze, but any amount of alcohol was welcome at that moment. "You act like I don't already know what goes through your head, or like I'd forget."

"I humbly apologize," Qrow said as he took the offered bottle and drank straight from the neck. The bottle was a quarter empty by the time he handed it back. Tai made a mock cheers gesture with the bottle before downing the other quarter of it just as fast as Qrow did. Which earned a chuckle out of the old and tired huntsman.

"I brought your scroll back to," Tai said with a hum. "Just in case you want to stay in contact with the girls, and for me to easily update you on what happens. Before you bother me about it later, the Specialist you were with is okay, just still unconscious. And those kids are as well, though the champion girl is still asleep. Internal injuries, they say."

Qrow winced and gestured for the bottle back, drinking another quarter of it in just a few hungry seconds.

"I also talked to the nurse," Taiyang continued. "One of _Ironwoods _nurses if you know what I mean. They say that you should be back up on your feet and ready to continue huntsman duty by the time the festival starts."

"Ungh," Qrow burped as he set the bottle down. "Sounds about right. So now what?"

"Now what?" Taiyang laughed and got comfortable. "How about you and me catch up on a few things. I feel like I've been neglecting you."

"I feel like a kicked puppy," Qrow and Taiyang shared a laugh. Despite everything, they were still each other's best friend. Nothing would change that. Not Raven. Not Marcus. Not Ozpin and not any Grimm monster Queen that lives out in the Grimmlands scheming every day of her life. They were there for each other for Glenn and in other hard times, and they would be there for each other now.

* * *

Marcus winced and walked with a small limp. After spending all of last week sleeping and recovering, his aura and most of his wounds were healed. But not _every _wound. He still felt pain run up and down what remained of his left leg. The bionics made it so that he could move by himself, but his thigh and hip still felt hurt, strained, and tight. He had Neo at his side just in case it became too much for him to walk by himself normally, but he wasn't going to be relying on her anytime soon, especially not when the two of them were traveling underground through those same tunnels he took with Emerald after Cobe attacked him and her while they were sleeping.

He explained to Neo where they were going to go and she didn't seem all that excited for it, and to be fair he wasn't either. The assassins would have killed him off had he not made a truce with Anon, and he could imagine that Neo left them for a reason. But this had to be done, and they both knew that. The organization in Vale was underground and in order to get to it you needed to go through an abandoned sewer system. This sewer system wasn't _always _abandoned. But no one thought to fix it up to be operational again after what happened in Mountain Glenn. It just made it all the easier for the organization to remain hidden. And any little prick or teenager could find a way in there and fuck around and do whatever they wanted. However, in order to actually get _into _the organization, one needed to know where to look.

After walking for what felt like hours through tunnels that stank of shit and piss older than himself, he rounded the corner with Neo at his back and after walking about two-thirds of the way down this particular tunnel, he stopped. Neo looked at him with a questioning glare but stopped herself when she saw Marcus hope over to the other side and place a hand against one of the bricks. The brick itself didn't move or make any indication that anything was happening, that would have been too easy for some idiot to get lucky and find the place. But Marcus knew what he was doing, and he kicked a second brick with his new boot that Daisy provided him. Only then did anything finally happen.

With his foot against the wall on the bottom and his fist on the other up top, an opening slid open from the stone brick near his face and Marcus peered into it. Neo couldn't see exactly what it was from her perspective, but after seeing a blue light scan Marcus' eye back and forth, she was safe to assume that it was some kind of retinal scanner.

"_Marcus Black," _The wall seemed to speak to him as soon as the scanner turned off. "_What is your reasoning for returning here?" _The voice asked him. "_You should also know that bringing someone from a third party here is against the rules…"_

"She can be trusted, Mourn," Marcus said, speaking back to the soft voice coming from the wall. "I'm sure you've heard the news as well. I'm in a bit of heat and I need somewhere to stay so that I could wait it out. Tell Anon if you have too, I'm sure he wouldn't want to waste my talent by letting me rot out here in the sewers."

"_One moment please," _Mourn replied, the sound of a microphone clicking off was heard.

Marcus looked to Neo over his shoulder and shrugged. Neo crossed her arms and silently huffed. Neither of them expected to be let in, and so they now had to get ready to _force _themselves in. Marcus' hand slowly reached around to grab his gun, and in turn, she reached to the hidden sword hidden inside her parasol. Both stopped when all the bricks on the wall in the shape of a long vertical rectangle seemingly pushed inward, then slowly slid open.

"Anon has authorized your visitation," The man that Marcus spoke to through the wall came into view. He was apparently called Mourn, but that was an alias. His face wasn't visible because of a tight black mask that covered everything but his eyes, and the rest of his clothing was just about normal. It was scary in a way, that an assassin could look just like a normal person. Except for the mask, of course. If it weren't for that Mourn would have been any average Joe on the side of the street. "A Maid will come by and escort you to your rooms, are you in need of any relief?"

"No," Neo guessed what that 'relief' entailed when it came to regarding a maid.

"Very well," Mourn accepted easily. "You are welcome to enter then. Welcome back to the organization, Marcus Black, and Neopolitan."

"Thanks," Marcus said as he gestured for Neo to follow him into the hidden compound. She did so with some caution, watching Mourn from the corner of her eye as she stepped past him. Almost immediately, the piss and shit she smelled earlier became much easier to breathe in. Then became nonexistent as Mourn shut the door back behind them with a push of a button. The air in there was much cleaner, and by the soft humming sound she could hear from the ceiling, she could tell that it was ventilated as well. It's been a long time since she was part of the organization, but the Vale branch was much more advanced than the Mistralian branch that she resided in for many years before she quiet and Roman found her.

"Stay close," Marcus whispered to her as he pulled her closer with his hand on her shoulder. She nodded and disregarded just how close they were, practically rubbing up against each other. "A maid is on the way to pick us up, remember the plan. Let me handle it."

Neo rolled her eyes and nodded her head.

They stood there waiting for several minutes, Marcus knew the rules and remembered them. They weren't allowed to go any deeper within the compound without an escort, or a _Maid_, as the organization has come to name them. The Maids were all young women, who were bred and groomed to specifically serve their purpose as caretakers of the compound and to serve any who required their services. Some of them were born here, fathered by other assassins, most were homeless women or a very desperate girl who was fooled into being lead here by either another maid or an assassin who drew the short straw in having to take them and break their will. They had no will of their own, they just listened to whatever they were told and did _anything _that they were told. Which included fucking whoever needed fucking, whether they were a woman or a man. Slaves.

Marcus himself never required _that _kind of service from them, but he was guilty of using them from time to time just as any other assassin would for other miscellaneous tasks that he was too lazy to do himself.. He was curious. The worst thing about it was that there was no saving them. They were groomed to the point that they'd rather commit suicide rather than get treated and saved from this place. It was terrible, really. Even the most terrible man like him could see that. But it wasn't like he could do anything about it now, they were already dead.

He kept his face blank as one of the maids finally came by to take them. This one's name was May, a young, dark-skinned girl who was a huntress in training according to the name tag she had over her left breast. She wore a tight black one-piece outfit that covered her from her neck down to her feet where it entered into shoes. She wore nothing else underneath, Neo winced as she looked at her. She even _looked _broken even through the makeup that was forced on her. Marcus recognized her, unfortunately, as one of the girls who were supposed to enter the Vytal Festival from watching TV with Emerald one time. He didn't know her backstory, but she must have gotten mixed up with the wrong people and now here she was, a husk of her former self. Broken.

"Marcus Black and Neopolitan?" She greeted them with a smile, pushing back her dark brown hair and acting like she wasn't tortured and groomed into becoming what she was now.

"Yes," Marcus and Neo nodded their heads in reply.

"Fantastic. Follow me please, if you would. I will take you to your rooms-"

"We share a room," Marcus demanded sternly. "We will not be separated. No exceptions."

"I- Y-yes sir." May bowed her head submissively. "As you wish. Follow me please."

"Lead the way," Marcus said as he flicked his chin to get her going. May nodded her head and gestured for them to follow her, which they did. It was mostly a straight walk, but it felt like a very slow one. Marcus and Neo looked around with their eyes as they followed the broken Maid. Passing room to room full of other assassins, some of whom recognized Marcus as a master rank and were shocked to see him, some Marcus himself recognized as old friends or people that he saw when he went to speak to Anon after the ambush that nearly got him caught. Some completely ignored him, and others were busy with Maids like May. Using them however they wanted.

Marcus started to get nervous when he noticed one of them tailing him and Neo. It wasn't hard to spot, especially when it was just one hallway full of four people, and him being the fourth person. It was expected, he knew. Maybe it was just some kind of sick fan who enjoyed his past work, maybe he was jealous of him. Whatever it was, he stopped following them as they rounded the corner, and Marcus forced himself to look forward and ignore the shocked looks that he got.

The underground compound itself looked like any five-star hotel as they went deeper into the facility. The walls didn't look like they were made of stone and it honestly looked like a comfortable place to live on the surface. If he ignored everything like what happened to the Maids to make them the way they were now, and the fact that everyone here was a murderer who would stab him in the back at a moments notice, he could live here the rest of his life.

There were arsenals as well, which was obvious considering that some people needed weapons from somewhere when their name got too hot on the outside world. Then there were computer rooms and phone rooms like in the old times. People were assigned roles and they couldn't say otherwise. People were set up to watch cameras in a given sector, watch and observe assassins, and send out and receive contracts and also distribute rewards for those who did a great job. There were also training rooms as well where assassins in training could learn their craft. Marcus remembered all the blood, sweat, and tears he spent in that room and did his best to ignore it as he walked past.

"Here you are," May said as she came to a stop and twisted on her heel in a one-eighty. She presented the room with one hand, smiling the entire time. "This room is big enough for the two of you. You can stay here until further notice. Now, is there anything else that you need Sir~? Mam~?"

Marcus let go of Neo as they stepped into the room. It was big, more than big enough for the two of them. Though Neo scoffed at the sight of a single bed, it was obvious that they were assumed to be lovers of some kind. Though that was far from the truth. Marcus looked around the room and nodded his head, turning back to the Maid who was waiting patiently at the entrance of the door with her hands intertwined in front of her and pushing her chest up to make her breast look bigger with her arms. She couldn't be older than eighteen years old. Barely old enough to be legal.

"Go tell Anon that I want to see him," Marcus demanded. "He should know what for. We have some things that we need to settle between ourselves."

"Of course, sir." May bowed her head once again. "Is… there anything else?"

"Don't lose hope."

"E-Excuse me?"

"You're a new one, right? You look new." Marcus said. "Don't lose hope."

He stepped up to her and placed a hand on the Maids shoulder, squeezing it gently. "You're not going to be here forever." He whispered for her.

"I…" May kept smiling up at him, but the tears were overflowing and trickling down her face already. "Yes, sir." She replied brokenly. "Is there anything else?"

"Clean yourself up and go tell Anon that I want to speak with him," Marcus said, taking his hand away and stepping back further into the room.

"Yes, s-sir." May did as he asked and used the sink in the bathroom directly to her side and washed her face with water. When she came out, she looked as good as new, though the tear stains were still a little visible, it was normal for a Maid to have tear stains. She made to leave, but before she could shut the door behind her, she stopped and peered back in. Her dark blue eyes locked onto Marcus' from behind her dark brown locks of hair. "Thank you." She mouthed to him silently. Marcus simply nodded back and she scurried away. Moving the door shut before she did.

Neo mocked him as soon as the Maid left my placing her hands above her heart, sticking her tongue at him before she slapped him on the side of the head.

"Hey, stop that," Marcus complained. "No matter what I may seem to you, I'm not heartless."

Neo huffed and crossed her arms.

"Yes, I know." Marcus sighed and gave her to okay with a nod of his head. "Go deal with that. I'll be making that call to Cinder now."

Neo got serious again and nodded back at him. There was no grin on her face as she faded away with her semblance again, disappearing and leaving the room invisible. When Marcus knew for sure that she was gone and dealing with a certain issue, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll, then reached into the pack on his side and pulled out a signal booster that doubled as a signal blocker so that no one could pick up on his call and know who he was talking to or what he was saying.

Daisy really came through with the upgrades on his outfit. Instead of going sleeveless, Marcus now wore a red shirt with black sleeves that reached to his shoulders. The black parts were much tougher than the red and could deflect bullets even without aura. The red parts could deflect a knife but had to sacrifice toughness for mobility. His gloves were fingerless and exposed his palms, protecting the back of his hands but allowing him to activate his semblance if he needed too. The pants were pretty much the same, except all black this time, and were loose enough that he didn't need to worry about flexibility. His boots were brand new and had a little trick that involved using his legs that he would use later down the line. It also came fitted with many secret pockets so that he could hide ammo or knives, and in this case, he used one of the external and more obvious packs to hide these pieces of technology he was able to make thanks to Neo sneaking out and grabbing some things for him the other night.

Marcus put everything together and triple checked that the door was closed behind him. It was unlocked and couldn't be locked, so he had to choose and pick his time carefully. Now was that time.

He dialed the familiar number and called. Cinder picked up in less than five seconds.

"_Marcus," _She sounded relieved to get a call from him suddenly. "_Dear, I was actually worried about you." _

"Thanks for the concern," Marcus replied quietly.

"_Would you mind explaining where you have been all this time? I am afraid that I have grown suspicious of some things over the time you have spent hiding."_

"I assure you, I wasn't hiding from you," Marcus explained. "After the train crash I was injured, Roman died, and Neo managed to get me out of there. We hid in one of the safehouses and she helped me recover. Turns out that Roman had some blackmail over her and she was a really great actor. He had enough dirt on her to send her straight to the death penalty. She's working with me now, you see. And by extension, us. I thought you'd like to hear that."

"_I certainly do," _Cinder smiled at him through the scroll. "_You continue to impress me, Marcus Black. When can I expect your return?"_

Hook, line, and sinker. He got her. He was counting on her eagerness to keep him on her side.

"That's the hard part…" Marcus said as he looked around.

Neo returned out of sight of the scroll and wiped the blood off of her sword. Giving him a thumbs up. Good, the guy that was tailing them earlier and keeping an eye and ear on them was taken care of.

"The organization found us," Marcus told Cinder quietly. "I had to play nice and let them take me, but I have a nice suspicion that they were the ones who tried to get me killed in that train crash by telling the headmasters about it. Since I survived, one of two things might happen. They want me back, or they want me dead. I had Neo overhear them considering sending me out to assassinate _you_."

"_... Is that so?" _Cinder looked angry, pissed off. "_I should have regarded them with more seriousness. I thought that they would leave us alone as long as we didn't attack them directly, but with this, they seemed to have declared war. Are you absolutely sure of this?"_

"Considering I'm still alive and they haven't tied me up, yes," Marcus told her. "I won't be able to keep up this call for long, they're going to notice soon. But I need your help. I won't be able to get out of this one myself. If you still want me, I'll be in your debt." That got her attention. "I… don't know what to do here. Honestly. You're my only hope right now." Make it look like you're desperate, it makes you seem easy to control once your loyalty was 'earned'.

"_Worry not, darling." _Cinder smiled at him seductively. Her eyes flamed with her maiden powers. "_I will be there soon, I will call all the favors that you have collected for me in the past month. Tenne, Emerald and I are on our way."_

Marcus put on a show of sighing out of relief. "Thank you," He said. "Track this scroll, I have a signal blocker to prevent the organization from tracking it and _only _the organization. I'll leave it here for now, but I won't be able to keep this call active."

"_Not a problem, we'll be there soon." _

Marcus clicked the call off and smiled, that was easier than he thought it would be. He utterly played Cinder there and he didn't have a doubt that she was on her way to get him. She felt like she needed him, or wanted him for some of her own carnal desires. Marcus used that against her, ever since he saved her life against Amber she admired him. He knew that. She might feel like she owed him. Playing the desperate man in need of help was trained into his mind and he made it convincing.

Marcus looked to Neo and nodded his head. "And that's one army on the way," He said with a smirk. It quickly faded as he looked back to the scroll. He knew that the Maid was probably on her way back already. So he only had a few precious minutes to use this available time that he had. "Time to call the other one…"

_Being betrayed over and over again made it easy to expect it, and to find out how it works. I'm surprised Ozpin doesn't know how to use it wisely, or maybe after all those years he actually managed to keep his morality. I, on the other hand, am not such a good person. Once my mind was made, that was it. I called one army, and then I called the other. It pays to have a good memory after all… and Qrow never did change his number._

With a sigh, Marcus dialed a number he just couldn't forget.

* * *

**Hello sir, thank you for calling Digornos- Nah Lol. Imagine that though? Maybe in an alternate timeline, Marcus calls a pizza restaurant by accident. It would make for a pretty funny scene if this wasn't a serious story. I put the little usual quote down here at the bottom because obviously if I had put it up top it would have spoiled this important moment in the story. It was pretty well placed, I suppose.**

**T w i tter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	26. Chapter 26

**I'm back already! Let's keep it going!**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 26**

* * *

_Ever wondered how to start a small scale war with just a scroll call? Well, just one or two little white lies to the right powerful people, and you've got yourself a war..._

Qrow looked down at his scroll with shock wide on his eyes, stopping in the middle of the hallway right beside Taiyang just before they could enter Ozpin's office to let them know of Tai's recent decision and Qrow's speedy recovery thanks to Ironwoods medics. Qrow was just looking forward to seeing Winter back on her feet again and was ready to release some of his bad jokes just to annoy her in the most compassionate way possible, but that was all ruined and he was mixed with an entire melting pot of emotions. Anger, sorrow, hate, confusion, and many other unexplainable feelings that sent chills and shivers up and down his spine.

"Is that…?" Tai asked the unneeded question. "Who I think it is?"

"Who else could it be?" Qrow said with a low sigh as he looked at the caller ID that read _This is Marcus, pick up. _He guessed that Marcus had some software technological skill, and remembered his number. Qrow never changed it, it's been the same number since he attended and graduated from Beacon.

"That bastard," Tai snatched the scroll out of Qrow's hand and accepted the call.

"_About time-"_

"Who the _fuck _do you think you are!?" Tai shouted into the receiver. Marcus, who was now visible on the other side of the scroll and confirming for them that yes, he was in fact brave enough to actually call them on their mobile scroll.

"_Tai, it's been a while." _Marcus continued, recovering quickly from his surprise. "_How long has it been? Man wasn't the last time I saw you when-"_

"Don't you dare," Tai snarled at him through the scroll, staring daggers through the device and wanting to somehow send his fist through the scroll so that he could beat the man on the other side to death. "First you disappear for ten years, then you take Summer away from us, then you come back another ten years later and hurt my daughters? What makes you think that I am willing to listen to any more of your untrustworthy and _toxic _words that will come _leaking _out of that wretched mouth of yours?"

"_If you let me talk I'll tell you why you need to hear what I am about to say."_

"Who do you think-"

"You have _one _minute," Qrow growled out, cutting Tai off with his own burst of anger. "One minute to explain yourself, and that's it. Now go on, talk."

"_Thank you, Qrow." _Marcus sniggered as he looked at the old huntsman, just as old as himself. "_Sorry about the arm, I got a little trigger happy with those explosions, didn't I?"_

"Now you have thirty seconds, stop wasting my time."

"_Geez, okay. Fine. Listen and listen closely, right now where I am calling you from is the center of the organization in Vale, the one that trained and turned me into the man you see now." _Tai's growl told him to continue. "_There are men and women here who are just as ruthless as I am, dozens of them. Assassins trained to kill and fight off huntsman when the time comes. Even if I was killed off, you'd never be able to get rid of them all."_

His thirty seconds were up, but no one was keeping count. Marcus continued without skipping a beat.

"_And the reason I am calling you now, as unbelievable as it may sound, I want all of them dead."_

"Why?" Qrow asked. "After everything, why are you trying to turn over a good leaf now?"

"_Hah, Qrow. You misunderstand. This is not me trying to become your best friend again, this is me trying to get revenge on the people that stole my life away from me and turned me into a monster." _Marcus said it with a chillingly amused voice but his expression was dangerous, anger constricted down on his features. Taiyang and Qrow for the life of them couldn't see any dishonesty with the way he was acting. "_I tried to leave before, and they killed my wife to send a message." _Tai widened his eyes with shock and understanding. Suddenly, his anger toward Marcus faded just a tiny amount. Not nearly enough for him to forgive the man who'd taken away his own wife and stole Ruby's semblance and gave Yang a severe concussion, but enough for his kind soul to see it from Marcus' expression, he really had nowhere else to go. And it wasn't of his own volition.

"_They killed my wife, Olivia, and then they turned my son against me. As I was training him they ordered me to give him the same legs I had, and I did. All it did was make Mercury hate me even more."_

"If you're trying to make us feel bad for you, it's not going to work." Qrow cut him off.

"_You should know me better than to try and guilt trip someone," _Marcus said with a smirk. "_I'm only telling you this because you need a reason, a good reason, why I want to finally get rid of these assholes once and for all. At least away from Vale."_

"You mean they're in the other kingdoms as well?" Qrow asked, gritting his teeth with anger.

"_Aside from here, there are two other main bases. One in Mistral, and one in Atlas. Anyway, back to my little story. I'll keep it short since I don't have much time before I'm summoned to see the big boss here, but basically I was forced to kill my own son after he tried to smash my head in with a log."_

Qrow and Taiyang had no words. They tried to tell if he was lying again, but that brought even worse feelings to their stomachs. Taiyang felt anger again, naturally thinking about his own daughters and not even being able to conceive the idea of ever being forced to hurt them, much less _kill _them. And the way Marcus said it… his voice was empty, there was no enjoyment in his voice and that honestly put him off. He's never seen Marcus since Glenn and he knew that something was wrong with him, but excluding the time he brought Summer back to him, he never saw just how far he's fallen. Such a basic human function such as emotion was non-existent within the man he once called his friend. Either that or he was just a psychopath.

"_Yeah, I can see you're as excited to hear that as I am repeating it,"_ Marcus added.

"I…"

"_No, don't say anything. It's done. Now, are you going to get over here or do I have to try and persuade you a little more?"_

"What do you mean by 'persuade?'" Tai asked, catching on to that word quickly. "And even with your little sob story, you can't expect us to trust you here. All these years of trying to find you, finding out about everything you've done and been doing, I'm sure I can not only speak for myself but speak for Qrow, Ozpin, and everyone you left behind that we can't trust you, or your word."

Marcus nodded his head with understanding, though he didn't look discouraged. "_Oh, I get that, really, I do." _

Neo came into vision on the scroll, holding a scroll of her own that had pictures of Ruby, Weiss, and Yang, all aligned in a row with a command button underneath him that simply read _Commence_. Tai and Qrow felt their hearts drop, and anger return.

"_So here is what's going to happen," _Without hesitating, Marcus pushed the button.

"What are you doing!?" Qrow screamed at him.

"_I've just put contracts on those girls heads," _Marcus announced, smirking smugly and victoriously at them as he waved Neo's scroll back and forth. "_Every assassin in Vale now knows who they are, where they are, and what state they are in. The reward for killing all three is an instant promotion to the rank of Master. The contract lasts indefinitely, and I am the benefactor."_

"You bastard, I'll kill you!" Taiyang screamed.

"_I'd like to see you try," _Marcus challenged. "_I gave you a choice before but now you have none. Get Ozpin, get Ironwood and his shitty little Ace Ops, and track this scroll. We are near an underground abandoned sewer system. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out once you get here. Don't bother trying to sneak your way in, come in hot and come in hard."_

"You planned this…"

"_What can I say?" _Marcus leaned back and prepared to end the call. "_I've always been good at riling people up." _He said in a mocking tone. "_Now hurry, it's only a matter of time before someone goes out to take care of those girls. Tick tock, Qrow, Taiyang. Tick. Tock." _

"MARCUS!" Taiyang screamed into the scroll as Marcus ended the call. "God fucking damn it. Qrow, go to the girls and make sure nothing happens to them. I'll fill in Ozpin and James about this and set up a strike force with the Ace Ops. Go!" Without a second hesitation, Qrow realized that he was still too weak for active duty and sprinted in the opposite direction, ignoring the spear of pain that ran up and down his leg as he did so. Taiyang ran into Ozpin's office, a stroke of luck also introduced him to the Ace Ops along with James Ironwood, and he told them everything that they needed to know.

* * *

"And there we go," Marcus said as he threw the scroll into a closet, then through a pair of pants on it just in case. It was beeping lightly, but not loud enough that it was obvious. "I'd say we have about half an hour before shit starts hitting the fan, are you ready to go?"

Neo smirked at him and nodded her head. Her bloody blade was already wiped of all blood. The body that she snuck in there was shoved into the bathtub and the door was locked tight. Everything was according to plan so far. Cinder was coming with an army of criminals and terrorists, and Ozpin and Ironwood were coming with an army of huntsmen and specialists. Perfect. It couldn't have gone better.

Neo certainly looked pleased, everyone she hated was now meeting up in one spot to kill each other.

"E-excuse me, sir?" May the Maid returned to them at the perfect time. "Anon will see you now. He's asked me to return and collect you and Neopolitan."

"Perfect," Marcus smiled at the girl and stepped out of the room, Neo with him with his arm around her waist. "Lead the way, girl."

"Yes, sir." May bowed her head and walked off, expecting them to follow. Marcus and Neo made their way through the compound once more, this time taking in the sight and looking for possible vantage points. The place was built specifically so that in the event that they were found out and invaded there was only one place the enemy could move through. A vast amount of hallways and one-entrance rooms to funnel them all into one chokepoint. They also noted the many secret escape routes that were littered around the base just in case they needed to escape in a pinch. Silently, they agreed to use one of them once they were done here.

Cinder and Ozpin may be coming, but that didn't mean that they would succeed. After this, the organization would know of the betrayal and all eyes would instantly be on him. In order to slow down that process significantly, they needed to cut one of the heads of the multi-headed snake to arouse confusion and shock. That was where Anon came in.

May did her job well and led them all the way to Anon, just as she was told to. The hall that leads to his office was ornate, but not overly so. He wasn't a dictator, just a chosen leader from a higher power. However, that didn't mean that he wasn't powerful. He commanded and directed the Vale branch of the organizations. One of the big three. There is a branch in Vacuo like there is in Mistral and Atlas, but the Vacuo branch was nowhere near as important as the others. The other three all had a leader of some kind. Marcus has had the pleasure to meet all three at least one time, and then there was Anon.

Anon, which was an abbreviation of the term anonymous, was given to him because of the obvious lack of any real name. The other leaders were also Anon, though Marcus just dubbed them Anon 2 and Anon 3 because Anon 1 was the one he actually spent a considerable amount of time with. After he killed his father, Anon took him in and completed his training for him to become an assassin. Showed him on to not waste movements, how to fight huntsmen, and most importantly how to kill without expending a lot of energy. In some weird way, Marcus did look up to him because of what he represented and because of his raw commitment to the organization. But he knew better than to get attached to a man who would easily sign off on an open contract for his head just because he wanted out.

Seeing him again after May opened the door for him and Neo sent chills down his spine. The last time he saw Anon was that night he got ambushed by the android and the two huntsmen. He was afraid that he was just going to kill him right there for daring to step into their territory after being ousted as an excommunicated and open contracted master assassin. Luckily, Anon respected the organization's code so much that he accepted his rite. It gave him a chance to get them off his back and finally get rid of the organizations grasp on his life. Heh, ironic given what his intentions were now.

"Marcus," Anon greeted him with a satisfied and polite smile. "It is interesting seeing you again, I've heard of your most recent achievement and I must say, you impressed."

"Thanks," Marcus said with a forced smile as he sat down in the seat provided for him, Anon was sat across from him and his mute companion took the empty seat beside him. "I aim to keep my word, after all, Roman is dead and those two huntsmen are in critical condition. With any luck, about half of that list you gave me will be taken care of pretty soon. Hell, might be over and done with already."

"I'm aware," Anon put his dark-skinned hands on the desk and intertwined them together. "You riled up the city after your little stunt. Though, I understand that the Daisy twins are to thank for your survival."

Marcus tensed slightly, he knew that they would figure it out anyway but not this quickly. He played off his tensity by scratching one of his more obvious and visible wounds on the left side of his collarbone. "Yeah, it took some convincing but I got them to comply."

"I am glad that they did, it would have been a pitiful end to your story if you died from your injuries."

"Hn," Marcus snorted. "Guess so."

"And you, Neopolitan," Anon turned his head to look at her, smiling smugly as Neo frowned at him. "Are you to thank as well for Marcus being alive and well? My, I suppose letting you go wasn't a waste after all. A shame that you spent your freedom under the watch of blackmail. If you should desire it, I would welcome you back into the organization."

Neo shook her head in the most polite way she could utter. She didn't necessarily hate Anon, but she hated the people that he was in charge of. They did try to make her a Maid at first, after all. All that trauma stole her ability to speak. Made her _terrified _to speak and hear the sound of her own voice. Anon was the one to give the okay for her torture, but also the one to accept her as an assassin after she broke free and tortured the ones that tormented her in her own special way. She killed two of them but left the last alive after making him a eunuch and making him eat his own parts as punishment.

"A shame," Anon said as he lazily looked back to Marcus. "Your semblance is very prodigal."

"She works with me now," Marcus interjected. "Once my last contract with you is finished, she'll be coming with me as well."

"Of course," Anon didn't look bothered, but Marcus and Neo knew better. He wasn't in the position he was in now by not being a good liar. "Not even I would have the authority to keep you here after you complete the contract. And Neopolitan here has already completed hers. There is nothing I would be able to do to you at that point."

"Is the contract on my head off?" Marcus asked right away.

"Temporarily. I have it on hold, just in case you get a little rebellious again." Anon admitted openly. The fact that he was willing to let such delicate information out so easily spoke volumes of his confidence in himself. Despite being sat across Marcus Black and Neo, both former and current master assassins respectively, he still was confident in himself.

Honestly, Marcus didn't even blame him.

"You know the rules, Marcus. Free yourself, and the contract will be rescinded. That was the deal and your rite."

"Yeah… about that." Marcus said as he leaned forward further onto the desk, staring into Anons black eyes as he held his hands together. "You say that I'll be free after the contract is lifted, and from my _very good memory _I very specifically remember you stating that I had months to go about it however I need to."

"Your memory would be correct," Anon said with a nod.

"So, I'm asking you because of your seemingly infinite knowledge. How did the headmasters of Beacon and General of the Atlas military both not only know about the train but knew where and what time to strike?"

Neo could tell where he was getting at here, and she glared _death _into Anon's soul as he met Marcus' stare with a confident grin.

"As powerful as I may seem," Anon continued. "I am not omniscient. However, I believe I've heard whispers of a certain orange-eyed, black-haired woman that we all know you've been involved with before may have had something to do with that."

Marcus chuckled. "Hm, maybe you're right." He said, already finding out the truth for himself. He sat back in his seat and Neo followed his lead, crossing her arms and waiting for something to happen. Marcus had his eyes closed, and he made sure that his hands were still visible. He just waited. Anon raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue this sudden train of thought.

"Tell me, Anon, how long have you and I known each other?" Marcus began, opening his eyes and looking to the older man with a fond smile. "Fifteen years? Twenty? More? It's been so long I think I'm getting senile."

"Twenty four years." Anon filled in for him.

"Ah, right," Marcus made it look like he just remembered something. "Man, it's been a long time. Hell, my entire family has been part of this organization for about a century. My entire _bloodline _practically _evolved _to become the perfect killers. The perfect assassins. Damn near-emotionless, easy to train, and natural predators. I would go as far as to say that I wouldn't be surprised if we underwent microevolutions that made us different from normal human beings, but perhaps that is a little too far fetched. It all started with Nicholas Schnee having a chick on the side, and that chick getting a little angry after he shamed her publicly. I bet he would have never fucked her if she knew she was an assassin that was specifically sent to seduce him and conceive his child. If only she didn't catch those stupid feelings… he might have lived a little longer."

"What's your point, Marcus?" Anon asked. "This is all common knowledge among the master assassins and higher. I was the one who told your father to tell you all of this."

"That me and my entire family line was literally _bred _to manifest powerful semblances and become the perfect killing machines?" Marcus snickered. "Heh, yeah, what a smart choice by you."

"You were the one who trained me after I killed my father. You were the one who told me to do it in the first place. Encouraged me to continue the cycle of patricide that plagued my family. You were the one who convinced my son to try and kill me, and also the one who ordered the hit on my wife." He shook as he gripped his own arms, stopping himself from lashing out. Anon remained silent, though he continued to glare at him with a constant warning. Marcus didn't care. "After everything you've put us through… after training me and then giving me decades of experience to enhance those skills on my own. How could you ever expect me to not learn and _adapt_. Do you really think that I was stupid enough to really believe that you didn't try and get me killed in that train?"

Anon eyes widened as a massive explosion shook the entire facility. May, who has been standing behind them for the past thirty minutes or so, fell to the ground with a cry. Immediately after, sounds of gunfire and cursing and absolute chaos sung through the base. Anon's expression turned from calm to the most heated anger Marcus has ever seen in under a second.

"_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" _He screamed as he shot up to his feet, kicking the desk to the side and turning on his aura.

"I've done what every man would do when they have nothing to lose," Marcus shouted back as he kicked the chair he was once sitting to the side. Beside him, Neo disappeared with her semblance. "When a man is pushed to the point of losing _EVERYTHING HE LOVES_. When a man is pushed to the point of _BEING FORCED TO KILL WHAT HE LOVES. _When a man is _MANIPULATED _and _BETRAYED _over, and over again! That man starts to get a little _PISSED OFF_." Marcus drew his gun with his left hand and gripped the handle of a long serrated blade in his right. His white aura flared angrily and flowed up into his eyes. Momentarily making his black eyes white.

"Also… I have a promise to keep… Two promises, actually." Marcus grinned manically and got prepared to fight. With no weapon, Anon got into stance and prepared himself. "From one monster to another, I am going to kill you. Anon. I am going to destroy the organization from this part of the world."

"Do that, and you'll never be a free man." Anon pointed out. "You'll never be safe as long as you live and breathe."

"Heh… the best part about that is that I already know." Marcus replied, and then took aim. "And I really don't give a shit anymore."

He fired his gun, right before the bullet could get close, Anon ducked low and charged forward. A knife of his own shining in the light and displacing air as it made way to slash Marcus' neck open.

* * *

Cinder blasted through flesh and bone with her maiden powers, not taking any chances with them after meeting Marcus and destroying their aura's and body before they even realized what they were dealing with. If any did get close to her, Emerald was there and desperate to protect her. As well as their new snake faunus ally Tenne, who managed to rally the rest of her gang to follow up on their promise to follow and give loyalty to her. She'd have to reward her for that later, she really came through for her here. The other gang leaders, besides Junior, of course, she'd killed him and most of his gang after he squeaked about Marcus' location and nearly got him captured or killed. They were mostly useless anyhow, they wouldn't have stood a chance against these people. That much became more and more clear as the assassins that she watched get overwhelmed sheerly because of numbers of gang members practically running at them and tackling and pinning them down in order for their peers to take care of them and do the dirty work of killing them before they could break free.

The most terrifying part about that was that there were more bodies of White Fang and the men that Marcus managed to recruit for her than assassins. Many, many more. She let them go first to soften them up for the second wave which would include herself and stronger fighters. Even then, the assassins were proving to be more than worthy opponents.

"Fuck," Tenne tired summed up what it was like fighting one of them. She hissed venomously as she kicked one of the assassin's dead bodies. "These ones are very infuriatingly robust."

"Indeed," Cinder blasted away another with her fire and then finished them off by burning the rest of their aura and creating a hole in their chest with a fireball. "Emerald, you go on ahead and find Marcus. We can't waste time all in one spot. I don't like how difficult it is fighting through this compound."

"Yes mam," Without a moment's hesitation, Emerald dashed ahead alongside a few volunteers from Tenne's gang. They were not able to take on the assassins by themselves, but they were able to overwhelm them with what teamwork that they had. Still, Cinder didn't like their chances of getting through what must lie ahead and all keeping their lives.

"This is crazy," Tenne hissed as she spun her spear with one hand, ridding it of blood. "What kind of training did they go through?"

"The same kind Marcus Black did," Cinder reminded her. "Now come on, I am not sure how long Adam will be willing to accept the losses to save the one who took away his precious girl. We are on a time limit, let us continue wreaking havoc on this paltry organization that has gotten on my first and final nerve. I don't want anything for them to be able to come back to." As she said this her eyes burned brighter with flames, her half-born maiden powers coming to life as she heated up. This angered her. This entire time an organization like this was operating right under their noses. They were too dangerous to be left alone, not when at any moment they can place a contract on _her _head. As well as her other colleagues working under Salem.

She'd seen what that does to a person in Marcus, the constant paranoia, inability to trust people, and being scared to go to sleep every night and even being careful in broad daylight.

"Lady Tenne! Lady Cinder!" A desperate and bloodied young member of Tenne's gang exclaimed as he sprinted toward them, stopping a safe distance away but with a horrified expression on his face.

"What is it, Tim?" Tenne asked him.

"Huntsmen!" The boy shouted. "Huntsmen are here! They just destroyed my entire squad. T-they looked Atlesian."

"Impossible," Cinder said. "We ourselves were hardly able to find this place even with Marcus' hint, how could huntsmen find this place at the exact same time as us when they don't have such information? You must be mistaken. Do not waste my time."

"I'm telling the truth!" Tim pushed.

"I'll take your word as a warning. Now go rest," Tenne looked to Cinder and they shared a nod. "We'll go on ourselves and deal with these fools. Rendezvous with Rox's men and cover our flank."

"Y-yes, mam… be careful!"

Cinder narrowed her eyes as the boy ran past her and Tenne, and stared down yet another hallway that was littered with signs of battle. Marcus was certainly making it difficult for them to find him, at the start of the raid he should have been able to fight his way out himself and meet up with them. They should have met up already, and together they would destroy the entire compound. Which meant only two possibilities.

Marcus had somehow been killed, or they've been played for fools.

Either way, she was going to be having words with the man.

She and Tenne pushed forward with their best men and women. Eager to see this through to the end now that it's started.

* * *

Ozpin impaled an assassin on his cane and pushed him away with a precision pressure point attack. The man that had foolishly charged him head-on found himself urinating himself and spasming and becoming paralyzed all at the same time as he writhed on the floor in pain. Ozpin whipped his cane against his skull and knocked him unconscious, finishing the job and continuing forward. The Ace Ops and Taiyang all around him along with James Ironwood directly at his left.

Clover landed in front of him, letting out a deep breath as he rubbed his left arm. "He wasn't kidding, these guys are definitely trained just like him." He commented.

"How would you know?" Harriet snarkily remarked. "You've never fought Marcus Black before."

"Yeah, and you haven't either." Marrow pointed out. "So you have nothing to be sassy about bleach-hair."

"What was that tail-wagger!?"

"Eep!"

"Enough," Ironwood called to them. "I understand your dynamic and how it is important to your taking missions, but we can't afford to get sidetracked here."

"Yes sir," All of the Ace Ops replied at once.

Taiyang Xiao Long caught up to them and let out a deep breath. His blonde hair was soaked with sweat and his eyes were red from the attack to his eyes by an earlier female assassin. Out of all of them, he was the most exhausted. No one bothered to remind him of that however, he was still a huntsman, and it wasn't like he could rest even if he wanted to. In any corner, there could be an assassin waiting in hiding. Ozpin feared that if he brought anyone other than the Ace Ops, then they would have been overwhelmed already. Thankfully, reinforcements were already among them. Dozens of other huntsmen have worked their way into the compound, and he could hear the constant radio chatter from the scrolls of the Ace Ops.

"We are not far from where Marcus scroll is pinging," Clover reported as he looked down at his own scroll. "Though I think it's pretty safe to assume that it probably isn't where he is actually hiding."

"Your assumption would be safe to make," Ozpin said. Out of all of them, he was the least tired. Even Ironwood and the Ace Ops were breathing heavily while he was simply bored. The assassins were immensely skilled, yes. But they simply couldn't keep up with his millennia worth of combat experience. "We keep moving forward until we find him or signs of him. While doing so, give the order to make sure this compound can never be reclaimed again. Not even by us."

"Are you sure?" Ironwood asked his fellow headmaster. "As much as I hate to admit it, their technology is advanced even by Atlesian standards. We can take this technology and make it our own."

After seeing what these people have down to poor young girls, some of them huntresses in training, and the means of breaking them mentally. Ozpin wanted none of it. He'd seen enough suicides for many lifetimes, but never so many at the same time. It shook them all down to their core.

"Destroy it all," Ozpin insisted.

"I understand," James said quietly. "Relay the order to all other huntsmen in the area, destroy this place by any means necessary." He told the Ace Ops.

"Yes sir," Clover saluted quickly before doing exactly what he was told.

Before they could all move on, an explosion of fire put them all on guard. As a unit, they turned to face the new threat that came in the form of a beautiful woman with flaming orange eyes. The woman looked as shocked to see them as they were to see her.

Ozpin immediately recognized the power she was using as magic and also recognized her as one of the students that recently transferred over from Haven. Not only that, but her power was the Fall Maidens. He could tell just by looking at it. Which could only mean one thing… This woman was the one who helped Marcus Black defeat Amber… and _she _was the one who stole half of her power away.

"What are you doing here!?" The woman took a step back, shocked to see them. The other people that were around them stepped back with them, including a faunus woman with snake-like features "You shouldn't be here, it's… no…" Her eyes burned harder with flames as she backed away. She knew who they were and knew that she didn't stand a chance against them all as she was now. What's worse, is that she finally understood what was happening around the same time as them. "Marcus… that bastard. That ungrateful traitorous bastard!"

The night became a three-way war as Ozpin charged the false maiden while she responded with her flames. The Ace Ops were ascended upon by assassins at the same time, and both sides suddenly found themselves attacked from both sides. In the midst of all the chaos, both sides also cursed a single man. The one man who caused all of this death and destruction. Marcus Black, a master assassin and all-around trouble maker.

And this was his biggest stunt yet.

* * *

Marcus cried out as a blade skidded off his white aura and a wound healed before it could even be opened. He jumped back and his knife created sparks as it ground against another blade equal in strength and sharpness. Anon was stronger than him, it was never more clear as he shoved him back into the wall hard. As his back hit the wall Marcus felt one of his old wounds bruise, causing him to be slower in his recovery as he made to defend himself.

Neo reappeared out of her semblance and slashed at Anon's back while also using her speed to get ahead of him so that she could deflect the strike that was meant for Marcus. Anon growled and recovered quickly before he could fall, taking a stance again as Marcus regained his footing and took his own stance beside Neo. Who pointed her sword at Anon and snarled silently. Another mistake Anon made, he caused the death of Roman with his actions and now he was going to pay for it.

No more words were worth being shared with the man as Marcus and Neo charged forward as a near-unstoppable duo. They've never really fought together before, but they were able to adapt to each others fighting styles very quickly and work together to expertly push Anon back with constant neverending flurries of attacks. Anon guarded well but mainly used his aura to protect himself. No matter how good someone was, they would never be able to defend themselves perfectly against the likes of Marcus _and _Neo at the same time.

If anyone could come out of this situation alive, however, it would be Anon.

Anon growled and dodged Marcus' attempt to grab his arm, and then threw his knee forward and struck Neo right in the solar plexus just below and in between her breasts. She coughed up saliva and was temporarily stunned. Forcing Marcus to defend her as Anon moved to finish her off. Anon taught Marcus everything he knew, and to his credit, Marcus was still able to put a great fight against him with his own many years of experience. But Anon was just on another level, his speed, strength, and combat strategic mind were nearly unmatched.

The two men fought like blurs, Neo watched with a mild amount of shock in her eyes. Despite being injured, Marcus still fought very well against the leader of the organizations' Vale branch. If he wasn't so injured, he might, _might_ have been able to beat Anon all on his own. But as he was now, he was at a disadvantage. Neo couldn't let Marcus die, not after Roman asked her to work with him from now on. Marcus was a part of Roman's past that he would usually talk about fondly, she couldn't let that memory die.

Marcus let himself get pushed back but not in a way that it left Neo vulnerable as she was catching her breath. Sparks constantly flew across the room as his blade clashed against Anon's knife. He wasn't even able to aim his gun and fire and was more using it like a defensive tool rather than the gun it really was. He also didn't know what Anon's semblance was, but he knew that he had his unlocked. If he could just grab him for a second, he could steal his semblance and disrupt his aura. Which would make him too weak to continue fighting.

A lot easier thought than done, evidently. Anon played around his hands and grabs perfectly. He couldn't lay a finger on him. He used subtle footwork to avoid every single pounce of his hand, he countered with a kick every attempt, and sometimes he pushed him on the back knocking him away as if he was mocking him. Hell, his _knife _got closer to him than his hands ever did. With grit teeth, Marcus cried out and kicked his foot up. Anon flipped away in the small room and dodged the literally steel-toed foot from clashing into his chin, landing a safe distance away with a chair in front of him.

His eyes widened as Marcus smirked and kicked his foot back down, this time enhanced by a blast of steam or smoke that had the entire floor splintering out wood chippings and making him naturally wince as some of the debris hit him in the face. Stunning him for just a second.

One second too long for him. Neo recovered and made to capitalize on his stagger, thrusting forward sword first and piercing into his aura with her thin sword. Anon grunted but his aura deflected the attack, though it flickered for a moment before acting as a natural shield once more. He deflected Neo's next attack and the mute had to bend over backward at an unnatural angle in order to dodge what might have been a fatal blow. She went as far as to drop to her knees and dive to her side, flexibly stretching her legs out and kicking Anon twice on each side of his knee before flipping herself up on top of the desk.

Marcus took the chance and tackled him down, grabbing the back of Anon's long-sleeved thick shirt and forcing him further down into the floor. He tried to steal his semblance, but in order to do so, he needed direct skin to skin contact. Anon knew that after spending so long training the man. The assassin leader grabbed one of Marcus' wrists and twisted it, causing the man to cry out in pain as he felt his bone shift and fracture through his aura. His other hand reached out to grab at Anon's face. Being willing to let his hand be broken as long as he could take away Anon's aura, but his white aura flared as Anon caught that other wrist with his hand and squeezed down on a muscle that forced Marcus' hand to reflexively stretch out its fingers. From there, it was a contest of strength. Marcus struggled to push his hand down further so that he could try and touch Anon's skin, and Anon was struggling to hold back Marcus' hand while continuously grinding the bones in the other together.

The contest didn't last long as Anon thrust his head up to headbutt Marcus in the center of his nose and propelled him off while he was stunned. Just in time to block the tip of Neo's sword as she tried to stab it in his eye with his forearm. His aura flared and flickered, but it didn't fall. Neo's eyes widened as the aura that should have broken rejuvenated suddenly, giving Anon a boost in strength as he wrenched her sword out of her hand and threw her away with a well-placed kick.

"His semblance is constant aura regeneration," Marcus informed her as he stood back while gripping his left broken hand in pain. "It's how he was able to get so good and strong, he never had to worry about pushing his body too far because his aura was always up to constantly heal it."

"I'm surprised you figured that out," Anon said as he put his back to the wall so that he couldn't get attacked from two sides. "Which means you know that no matter what you do, you won't be able to win."

"Wrong," Marcus countered with a smug smirk, sweat dripped down his face. "You're getting tired, Anon. I can tell with the way you're sweating and taking deep breaths. You may have a nearly endless supply of aura, but that doesn't mean that your stamina would constantly rejuvenate itself as well." He flexed his good hand and smiled wider. "Neo and I don't need to beat you, we just need to outlast you. And if I grab you just once, the fight's over."

"That's assuming that I don't kill both of you first," Anon pointed out.

"Not assuming, knowing." Marcus snapped back. "If you were ten years younger, I wouldn't have even tried this. How old are you? Seventy? Little more or a little less? You won't be able to keep up for much longer-"

Anon whipped out a pistol from a hidden holster and Marcus cut himself off to dodge the incoming bullet, then deflect the other with his knife. Neo charged in with her semblance and when Anon smashed his heel on the top of her head, she shattered into a million transparent pieces of glass. She reappeared to his side and slashed him across his chest. Anon's back smashed against the wall when Marcus unloaded every bullet he had in his own Atlesian hand cannon into his chest. No matter how much aura someone had, no one would be able to come out of that completely unscathed. Anon's aura regenerated quickly and worked on healing his wounds, but it wasn't without its weaknesses. Aura couldn't help regain your stamina, only protect your body and heal your wounds, but when those wounds were substantial it had limits. If Anon fought anyone other than Marcus and Neo he would have won by now, or at least buy himself time to escape.

He was never one to give up, however, even as he grew more and more tired as the minutes ticked by and their battle continued on without even a seconds break. Neo and Marcus fought as hard as they could, and their auras began to dwindle more and more with each scratch, punch, kick and slash delivered to them by Anon. Neo got hit much less than Marcus did since he was the one directly assaulting Anon from the front and even with one broken hand he proved to be a worthy adversary. Only after fighting tooth and nail and Marcus' aura went out, did Anon's old age and energy finally fail him. He moved a little too slow, a little too lethargic, and Marcus dodged his killing blow and grabbed on to his wrist, peeling back his sleeve and pressing the palm of his hand against Anon's skin.

To Anon's credit, losing his semblance and part of his aura didn't affect him nearly as much as it did to every other person that Marcus has touched with his semblance before. Suddenly, Marcus' aura was the one to regenerate in a flash of white, his wounds healed and with his still broke hand he grabbed one of the last knives that he kept stashed away in one of the hidden holsters behind his right shoulder. Then, he threw his armed hand forward and stabbed the blade directly into Anon's heart. From behind, Neo jumped up and stabbed her long thin sword through his back as well, puncturing one of his lungs and causing a splatter of blood to explode from his mouth and onto Marcus' face.

Despite being defeated and dying from his wounds, as Marcus and Neo took their weapons out of his body and he fell to his knees, Anon looked up to Marcus. A bloody smile on his face as he looked at his former apprentice.

"I trained you well, Marcus Black." He said between desperate heaves for air. "You are exactly the man I wanted you to become."

"No," Marcus went down to one knee and stared Anon in the eyes. "I am better than that. Better than you. I am going to destroy the organization down to its very roots. Everything you spent your life building up will be destroyed. The only thing that you've done is to help me gain the skills to do that. Now die, you pathetic old man. Die while knowing that your entire life has only lead up to this end."

Anon couldn't say anything else, though it clearly looked like he wanted to. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell over to his side, dead.

Marcus stood back up and spat on his body. Neo stepped up and stabbed Anon in the side of the head to make sure that he was truly dead and he wasn't going to be coming back in the future by some miracle. The two of them shared a nod, their plan worked perfectly, and with Marcus' newfound power and aura reserves, he felt stronger than ever. Though his hand was still broken and his wounds still needed healing, he didn't need Neo to carry him this time.

He turned around and looked down at the cowering Maid that had brought them here in the first place. May stared up at them with a terrified look in her blue eyes, afraid for her life, emotions returning. Marcus simply nodded at her once, and he refused to pay her any more attention. According to the gunshots, sounds of fighting, screaming, and explosions. The Vale branch of the organization was going to finally die out. Any assassins that weren't in Vale at the time would retreat to another kingdom, or try and integrate themselves back into normal life. But none would dare try to go after them once they hear that Anon has been killed by him and Neo. They weren't suicidal, and no amount of money was worth losing their lives for a contract.

Marcus prepared himself for another fight as he heard footsteps run around a corner. Only slightly relaxing as he spotted a very unmistakable head of mint green hair stare at him with shocked red eyes.

"Marcus!" Emerald called out to him, oblivious of what he had just done. She ran up to him, lowering her weapons. "Why the hell weren't you looking for us? Cinder has been tearing this place apart trying to find you!"

"I had someone to take care of," Marcus looked down to Anon's body. "The leader of the assassins in Vale is dead."

"That's him?" Emerald seemed unbothered at the sight of Anon's dead body. "Hmph, some leader. Alright, I am sure Cinder will be happy to hear that news. Come on, I'll take you to her. All this commotion is bound to draw the attention of Beacon, we should get out of here while we can-"

"No," Marcus cut her off with a shake of his head. "I'm not going back to Cinder."

"What?" Emerald took a step back, suddenly afraid. "W-why not?"

"..." Marcus took a step toward her.

Emerald put two and two together and quickly realized that she and Cinder had been betrayed. She was smart like that, always able to adapt to almost any situation. In another life, she might have been a good friend to Marcus. _Had been _considered a friend at one point. But now she was on the other side, and she showed where her loyalties lied as she cast an illusion on him and ran in the opposite direction.

Marcus ignored the obvious illusion that was a band of huntsmen coming around the corner and shooting at him, and then shut his eyes and listened to the sound of Neo quickly catching up to the green-haired girl and defeating her quickly. When he opened his eyes again, Neo stood over Emerald's unconscious and bleeding body with the tip of her sword aimed toward her neck.

"No," Marcus stopped her before she could kill Emerald. "We'll take her alive, I have another set of plans for her."

Neo rolled her eyes but listened to him. Marcus picked Emerald up and swung her over his shoulder, and before any more people could find them, Neo used her semblance and snuck them all out of there.

Ozpin, Ironwood, Taiyang, and the Ace Ops worked alongside Cinder and her men unintentionally in destroying the rest of the compound. After the chaos was cleared, neither side was able to find their priority target. Only dead bodies, a broken Maid that threw herself in the arms of one of the huntsmen, and a what remained of an organization that shouldn't have been allowed to exist for as long as it did.

It became clear to them what happened that night. They weren't only tricked to the utmost degree and fooled into doing the dirty work for one man, but war was declared on them.

_And that is how one man can declare small-scale war…_

* * *

**Whew, this was a chapter full of stuff from every side and corner of my plans. Instead of stretching on this little arc for a few more chapters, I decided to throw it all into this pretty large piece of writing. Take note that this is probably going to be the fastest pace this story is going to take, and things are going to slow down rather quickly. Especially the next chapter. Weeks and days won't be going by so quickly, that is for sure.**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	27. Chapter 27

**Here we are again, let's keep the streak going!**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 27**

* * *

_You know, I've never really regretted what I did just then. I couldn't because it had to be done. If I wished that I never did it, then I'd have to regret everything else I did. Which, as you can imagine extends into a far longer list… And in order to keep to certain promises, I couldn't let myself feel bad for what I did. In the end, it was necessary, and it's how I was able to get myself to where I am today, right here in this chair..._

Emerald's head pounded as her darkening vision slowly cleared up more and more. Red eyes cracked open, and the pain immediately reminded her that it was there. She winced and wished that she'd never woken up in the first place for a moment, for her concern for where she was and why she was in pain overcame her instinct to simply stay asleep. Her vision scanned the room, but it was too dark for her to make anything out just yet. Trying to move brought more pain to her arms and legs. Something pulled against them and ground against her wrists, biceps, ankles, and knees. At first, she panicked. She's been caught, she had to escape, to get back to Cinder and- that's when it hit her. Police and huntsmen wouldn't tie her up like this, they wouldn't just leave her in the dark with no one watching her. Only that in the back of her mind, she knew that there was someone in the dark looking at her.

No, she wasn't alone. Couldn't be. The most recent events flowed back into her mind like a tidal wave. She was supposed to go find Marcus after he tipped them off that the assassins found him and Neo, but they'd been betrayed. Marcus used it as a cover to take out the leader of the assassins. And before she could escape, Neo took her down.

Her eyes got more and more used to the dark and as natural, she was able to start to make out her surroundings. Or more specifically, a tall broad figure lazily sitting in a seat in front of her, watching her with black eyes and wavy chin-length white hair in a messy style still a little wet with sweat from the earlier battle. She stared at him and felt anger boiling up from inside her, but she bit her tongue so that she didn't say anything rude. Marcus was the one pointing the gun at her, and she was tied up and still empty in the aura department. She was completely at his mercy.

"About time you woke up," Marcus commented. "I was afraid that Neo might have hit you a little too hard back then, luckily I know a bit of first aid myself, so you're welcome for that."

She didn't even realize she had bandages wrapped around the back of her head and forehead. "I didn't think you'd care that much about me mister _master assassin._" She replied, voice dripping in spite.

"Oh, I definitely consider you a friend," Marcus surprised her with the complete and genuine honesty in his voice. It might have been because she was tired and beaten, but she couldn't detect a hint of a lie there. "Have I told you that you remind me of my son? Mercury? Man, you two would have hated each other." He laughed fondly at a distant memory.

"You killed your son." Emerald pointed out.

Marcus' smile didn't fade away, though his head hung down slightly. "Yeah. I did kill him."

"I don't like the thought of you comparing me to him then…"

"I don't blame you," Marcus continued. "Anyway, let's not open up that can of worms. Might as well not get into that when this is going to be the last time we ever talk to each other."

Emerald's heart froze, though she forced herself to keep her composure. "Are you going to kill me?"

Marcus laughed. "I might as well be with what I am about to do to you." He stood up and made his way to her, Emerald grit her teeth and tried to push herself back, but she felt chills run up and down her spine when a pair of hands settled down on her shoulders and forced her to sit still. Looking up, she saw that it was Neo who was keeping her still. She smiled down at her tauntingly, just daring her to try anything like using her semblance or try to break free. She knew that she could only use it on one person at a time without knocking herself out, she'd be dead the moment she tried anything.

"Don't make this difficult for me, Grass," Marcus said as he pulled up a small table and set it up in front of her. He leaned over said table and stared at her, his previously kind expression turned cold as he looked down at her. "Tell me everything you know about Cinder, and I promise I'll make it quick." He set his gun down on the table in front of her. "Just one bullet to the head. No pain, no suffering. Just whatever happens when you die."

"I won't betray her!" Emerald snarled. "Do whatever you want to me, I am not going to go back against everything she's ever done for me!"

Marcus scoffed at her. _Scoffed. _She felt sick to feel his breath on her face and didn't show any fear as he picked up his gun and loaded a single bullet into the chamber. "Either way, I am going to kill her one way or another." He pulled out a scroll from his pocket and set it down in front of her. What she saw was the main international news channel for Remnant as a whole. The main topic that was being talked about, not only in Vale but in other kingdoms as well, was about the organization. The organization that she and Cinder helped Marcus destroy after being fooled into accidentally working together with the forces of Atlas and Huntsmen of Vale.

In Vale, they have been completely rooted out and destroyed, or at least that was how the news told it. Most likely there were still plenty of stragglers still in Vale. Not every assassin was in that base all at the same time, there was just no way that was the case. But even then, what could they do? The news that Marcus killed the leader was already one of the main discussions of the topic. If he could kill the leader, then why would they even try? The assassins are mostly full of cowards who simply carry out their contracts, but wouldn't trade their life for all the lien in the world. Right now, for an unspecified amount of time, until the rest of the organization catches wind of this and try and do something about Marcus, he was completely untouchable by them.

"No one can stop me right now," Marcus boasted. "The organization just lost half of their influence and power after the little bug I put in their system prevented them from sending over any of their data or equipment and even if they do want to do something about me they'd be more worried about staying hidden. Give it a few years and they might become a problem again, but right now?" He spread his arms out to the sides, smiling widely as he did so. "Not even Ozpin or Ironwood are going to be able to do much about me. Not when they have other things to worry about, like a certain fallen maiden you and I know mutually."

"That's right," He continued when Emeralds face contorted with fear and realization. "That was part of the plan, right Neo?" Behind her, she could imagine Neo was nodding her head. "Cinder is the one to be revealed running things around here and is the holder of the rest of the maiden powers. Which subsequently then revealed that _you_ are not to be trusted as well. And since you both supposedly came from Haven…"

Marcus swiped at the screen and an entirely new case popped up on the screen. Emerald read it with wide red eyes, unable to stop herself.

"_Corrupted Headmaster of Haven Academy Leonardo Lionheart under investigation for falsifying official student records for terrorists Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, and Neopolitan." _It read. It went into more detail, but she didn't get the chance to read the rest of it when the scroll automatically dimmed and shut off its screen.

"It was a hot take at first, but it made sense after I thought about it." Marcus went on. "I thought it was a little too easy for you and Cinder to just _walk _into Beacon without so much as a thorough background check for two people that seemingly popped out of nowhere. Didn't think it would be this juicy though." He laughed. "When I saw Ozpin's angry face on the news as he had to make a statement about it. Man, that was one of the best laughs of my life."

"You're not going to get away with this," Emerald snapped at him. "Cinder will find a way to get back at you for this! She's strong, smart, and she has allies! If you think for a second that-" She clicked her mouth shut, realizing that she walked right into his trap when he smiled smugly at her.

"I already figured that much out after I met Salem herself," Marcus said. "Terrifying woman, I wouldn't want to get anywhere near her if I can help it. But I do know of a Watts… he was the one to make that virus that's in the CCT, right?" Emerald refused to answer him. "Makes sense, I looked into it myself you know. I have some computer skills that I picked up over the years and that is one nasty piece of data Watts made up. Millions upon millions of packets, terabytes of invisible nearly undetectable little bugs. I won't bore you with something you don't understand and the point I'm trying to make is that I can see what you wanted to do with that. With Atlas currently occupying Vale, it's not hard to imagine the kind of chaos you can cause if you made another breach and shut down all of their tech. Or worse, turn it against everyone."

"Just get it over with," Emerald glared at him. "Are you going to keep bragging needlessly or are you going to kill me already? Or start torturing me? I didn't peg you for the type to drag things out and make me suffer."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't have to handle that myself." He chuckled. "I just wanted to have one last chat with you. Level it out with you and be completely honest. I mean, what did you expect when you found me standing over the dead body of my own son? If I'm capable of that, then why would you think I _wouldn't_ betray you at some point?"

"Because you needed us?" Emerald guessed. "You had nowhere else to go, and Cinder liked you and admired your skills."

"Enough to be afraid of me?" Marcus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Enough to not underestimate you." Emerald corrected.

"Hmph, I guess that makes sense," Marcus thought for a moment, nodded his head, and then continued. "That's why you and she wanted me dead, isn't it? Roman too, you knew he wasn't loyal, knew that he'd betray you someday to get out of your grasp. Since you two were afraid of me at the same time. Why not get rid of two risks with one little message to Ozpin? Kill two birds with one stone as the saying goes."

"That wasn't us!" Emerald screamed. "Cinder was _worried _for you! She wanted you back, and was even willing to throw away everyone we helped her recruit in order to do that! You can't seriously believe that was us? Do you?"

"Of course, I don't."

Emerald suddenly became confused. "W-what? Then why… I don't…"

"Grass, I knew you and Cinder weren't the ones who betrayed me," Marcus said as he patted her on the head gently as if she was a young girl far out of her league. That analogy wasn't that far off from the reality of her situation. "It was Anon and the organization. They've wanted me dead ever since I told them I wanted me and my family out. They were the ones who tried to get me killed, not you two idiots. C'mon Em, I thought you knew I was smarter than that, I was the one who came up with the idea to beat the shit out of you so that Qrow would think that you were just some silly victim and bring you right to Beacon."

"..."

"Yup. I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but I really did have a lot of great plans, didn't I? I mean, I managed to recruit everyone Cinder wanted me to pretty quickly and knew how to deal with all of them. I managed to escape not one, not two, but _three _ambushes, one of which was when I was _out of aura_ and on my last legs. And yet still people keep trying to fuck with me. Not to mention I have Neo as an ally now, and now I know more about you and Cinder than I really need to."

"And that's not even the end of it." To make his point, Marcus moved his gun and scroll and gestured for Neo to come out from behind her. She skipped around her and placed something down on the table before her. It was another scroll, turned away from her for the time being, and looked deactivated.

"What is this?" Emerald had to ask.

"Another one of my master plans," Marcus said with a sigh. "I just got you to confess to enough crimes to land you in prison for thirty lifetimes on a Livestream."

"What!?" Emerald jerked and tried to get out of her seat, but Neo kicked her back into it and knocked the entire thing over. She landed hard on the ground and was stunned. With another resigned sigh, Marcus picked her back up and slammed her back in place. Putting the scroll back down in front of her while Neo forced her to stay still. Marcus then turned the scroll on, and with tearful eyes, Emerald looked at the live recording of herself with a red circle in the upper right corner. And a live chat that was going crazy insulting her, revealing her, and some even went as far as to track that scroll down right now. She could also imagine that this Livestream was also being transmitted to all of Vale, and by extension, Ozpin, and Ironwood. "No, no, Marcus don't do this to me!" She cried out, finally realizing what Marcus was going to do. Or rather, what he _wasn't_ going to do. "Just kill me and get it over with!"

"Sorry, can't do that," Marcus said with a sad smirk. "I gotta gain some public favor somehow, right? I won't change anyone's minds about me, but this is bound to stir some drama. Ain't that right guys?" He looked into the camera after stepping into view from behind her. "I'm pretty sure I don't even have to set a beacon on this scroll for you guys to find this place. Well, here she is. One of the accomplices of Cinder Fall and trust me, she has a _lot _more information then even I know. I just don't have the time and energy to force it out of her. I mean, I just got out of that third ambush a only a few hours ago.."

"Stop it!" Emerald shouted at him. Marcus winced and Neo came into view and forced tape onto her mouth. Turning her cries for him to kill her into muffled moans and screams.

"Oh, and this one is for you, Cinder." Marcus continued as he stared into the camera, ignoring Emeralds pleas for him to stop. "I'm done working for you, I'm done killing for you. I'm done pretending to be someone that I'm not. Sleep with one eye open, because I am going to find you, and I am going to kill you. Until that happens though, to everyone else in the chat and to all of Vale and the visiting kingdoms from beyond, happy Vytal Festival!"

Marcus looked to Neo and they shared a nod. They left Emerald behind with the scroll still recording and they ignored her muffled cries for them to come back and end it. She shook and tried to escape, but with no aura and without her weapons, there was no escape for her. She _might _be able to free herself if she was left alone for about half an hour to recover some of her aura, but she didn't have half an hour. He doubted that she even had ten minutes. Marcus spared one last look into Emeralds red eyes before he left the room, and as she tried to call out for him, he raised two fingers to his forehead and waved them at her.

"For what its worth, I really am going to feel bad about this. Just a little bit." He turned his back to her. "Good luck, Grass. Thanks for keeping me company. Goodbye." He slammed the door shut behind him and Neo grabbed his hand, using her semblance and moving them out of what was going to very soon be a hot soon. He didn't know if Cinder was going to try and save Emerald herself, but he didn't want to risk it. He knew there was going to be a possibility since there were some plans to have Emerald use her semblance on some people during the tournament to cause a storm in the media, so that was enough reason in itself for him to get the hell out of there.

And just like that Emerald wasn't going to be a problem anymore. He wanted to get rid of her quickly because her illusionary semblance was going to be annoying and potentially fatal going up against if someone was helping her fight him. Luckily, he took no risks and stole it before she woke up. He doubted that she even felt it since she was knocked out at the time. But she'd figure it out in time, and when that time came, it would already be too late.

Neo patted him on the arm and comforted him. Which was reciprocated by wrapping an arm around her shoulders in the closest he'd ever come to hugging her or anyone. He wasn't lying when he said he felt a little bad for Emerald there, he just sentenced her to spend the rest of her life in a maximum-security prison and he really did think of her as a distant friend even if there were only that close because of their association with Cinder. She was also his late son's age, so that dug up some locked away memories for a few moments there. It wasn't like anything was ever going to come out of that anyway, Emerald was loyal to Cinder and _only _loyal to Cinder. If she could, she would have given him up in a heartbeat. It didn't make it any easier like he thought it might, but at least there were some fond memories like them going out to recruit idiots like Rox, Junior, and then Tenne.

He was going to forget her soon enough, there were more important things to worry about than feeling bad for a girl that spent her entire life fighting and making people's lives harder.

The Vytal Festival was drawing near, and he had even more plans to make. When Neo moved them again with her semblance he immediately went on to his little makeshift desk in the corner of the room and went to planning. He had two days until the tournament started. Just two. It was not enough time at all, but he had to work with what he had. Behind him, Neo leaned over his shoulder and pressed her chest against his back, watching and presumably taking mental notes. She meant nothing by it, of course, and even if she did he was far too distracted to even notice it. She was the best friend he'd ever had so far though, even if she was only with him because Roman told her to before he died, he enjoyed spending time with her when they did.

'_I knew you could do it…'_ Her voice taunted him once more. '_I knew it. I knew it. I knew it._' Over and over again, really, even dead and just a lingering fragment of a soul, Summer never changed. He scoffed at the thought and ignored the other voices of countless other souls that plagued his mind.

It was time to get shit done. He started making links with what knowledge he had on the White Fang, Cinder, Ozpin, Ironwood, Beacon, and even Salem. Then started to prepare for multiple possible outcomes. Sadly enough, all of them always included Beacon being up in flames.

All of them ended with him against Cinder one way or another as well.

* * *

Cinder caused the scroll in her hands to explode due to her flames reaching her hands and she threw the destroyed thing against the wall and roared in anger. All of the White Fang terrorists that were in the room with her shuffled out of the room nervously, all except their leader, and Tenne. Cinder screamed again and her eyes lit aflame. Cursing Marcus and everything he stood for, she only calmed down when she realized that she was creating more of a ruckus than she really intended. Taking a deep breath, she massaged her temples and forced herself to calm down.

"I've lost Torchwick, I've lost Emerald, and now my greatest ally has betrayed me." She said with barely restrained anger. "If either of you have any plans to betray me as well, do not think that I will show you mercy. Because obviously, I have been too gentle in my enforcing."

"You have nothing to worry about from me," Adam said in a bored tone. "As long as our goals align, you can trust me and my White Fang to stay by your side. I will also be more than willing to go after Marcus Black myself if needs be." He tightened his grip on his sword and growled. "I have a bone to pick with him after he stole my vengeance. I'll make sure he suffers for it."

"Don't be so foolish, Taurus," The only reason Tenne was able to get away with such insults was because she was a faunus as well, and used that to her full advantage. "Marcus Black would wipe the floor with you and still have enough energy to kill me."

"Which is why you won't be going by yourself," Cinder spoke over the two of them. Turning around to face them after she recovered from her outburst of anger. "Adam, you will get the vengeance you desire, but you should know what you won't be able to enact it all by yourself."

With an angry scowl, Adam nodded his head in understanding.

"Which is why I am going to call in an ally," Cinder continued. "Someone who is distasteful and obnoxious, but necessary and close enough and will listen to me with no hesitation if it meant pleasing _her_. And he is close in the outskirts of Vale as we speak."

"How long will it take this man to arrive?" Tenne asked in a hiss.

"No longer than a day with his speed." Cinder replied. "And don't you worry Adam, I know how you are reluctant to work with humans. This man is a faunus as well just like yourself."

"Hmph, that will make things much more tolerable," Adam said with a nod. "Who is he?"

"He will introduce himself when he arrives," Cinder explained. "He always liked handling his own introductions. I shall not rob that of him just this one time. Together, you two will go out to hunt Marcus Black down and together, you shall kill him and that little pest Neo. I want them both gone and out of my life. If you bring me their heads, I'll even put a reward in it for you."

"I'll consider it," Adam said quietly. "I have to go and make sure my men aren't too worried about the news. The plan continues as normal, correct?"

"With Emerald gone, there will be some minor changes." Cinder pointed out. "I will call you and update you on what those changes will be soon tomorrow. Do be prepared Adam, things are bound to get hectic quite soon."

"I'll keep that in mind." Adam left the room and shut the door gently behind him. Leaving the two women alone with each other. Cinder looked to Tenne, and Tenne quickly made it clear what her position was. Bowing her head softly, she submitted to her before Cinder even had to try.

"I am still by your side, Lady Cinder. I am not one to surrender loyalty for the illusion of freedom so easily. I may admire Marcus for his skills and strength, but that does not mean that I will follow in his footsteps." Tenne explained.

"I certainly hope not." Cinder said with a hum. Then sighed. "I think that I always knew that Marcus would someday betray me. But I didn't think it would be this soon. I always thought it would be months, maybe years before he got the courage."

"I believe it was the assassins that pushed him too far," Tenne spoke. "If I am able to share my opinion…"

"Go on," Cinder waved a hand toward her to continue.

"I won't pretend that I've known you and Marcus on a personal level, but I have heard much about the latter on more than one occasion. Before I formed my family, or _gang _as the humans call it, I was a member of the White Fang. I was a decently high ranking officer, and I was there when Sienna Khan herself hired Marcus for a contract some years ago to assassinate some Schnee businessmen and associates. I was also told never to trifle with the man, and not even Sienna would dare to refuse him."

"I don't see how this is relevant just yet." Cinder said.

"It is because I believe Marcus is both a man of professionalism, and also a man of pride and care. Of course, this is meant to be taken with a desert of salt, but the greed for money isn't and cannot be the only motivation required for someone to take on the contracts that Marcus did. It is well known that he used to be a student of Beacon, no?" Cinder nodded her head in agreement. "I then theorize that the huntsman that he was trained to be never left him in the first place. He was always the same man, just forced into a role he didn't believe he could escape. Until now, that is."

"Because now there is no organization for him to worry about right now," Cinder continued for her. "There is no one stopping him from being free. If he really wanted freedom, he would have left Vale already. I wouldn't chase him, and like he just said, it'd be years before the organization can regain the footing they once had on the world."

Tenne nodded in agreement. "Yes, indeed. He's staying for a purpose. And that purpose is to stop you, and kill you."

"Then the only way to approach this is for him to die." Cinder said in a decisive turn. "I can kill him if he comes at me, but…" She looked around the hideout she and the rest of the White Fang were hiding in. There were windows, dozens of potential entry points, and the main bulk of the White Fang were all volunteers, not soldiers. If a huntsman with stealth training found them, or worse, if a master assassin like Marcus or Neo found them. She didn't like the thought of being killed in her sleep. She knew there was no honor in the way they fought. If they found her sleeping, she couldn't defend herself.

Her lack of explanation in verbal words was enough for Tenne to understand what was going through her mind. They weren't safe there, not when they were being hunted by huntsmen, specialist, and now two master ranked assassins. One wrong move, just falling asleep at the wrong time, and they would find themselves dead before they could realize it.

"I'll tell my men to create a secure hideout for you." Tenne said, catching Cinder's attention. "They are smart, and unlike these idiots in the White Fang, I make them train regularly at least two hours a day or more. At the very least, they would be able to alarm you to an incoming threat before it could catch you on guard."

"How can I trust you?" Cinder asked, not in a spiteful way. Tenne understood why. Just mere hours ago she'd been betrayed and now just lost Emerald.

"Because I keep to my word," Tenne explained. "And we have a deal. There is more to gain for me working with you then it is to betray you. I am a wanted terrorist myself now, you've seen the news. Even if I were to stop working with you, where would I go? My home is in Vale, and the underworld is my new plaything now that Torchwick is out of the picture. As long as we have mutual benefits, you can count on me." She chose her words carefully, and decided to be honest to a fault. "I simply have no reason to betray you."

Cinder stared at her for a good long while, thinking, wondering if she should believe her words. She couldn't trust in them, they'd only been working for mere weeks after all. But she could tell that they were genuine. She always prided herself on being an excellent judge of character, and in Tenne, she could see a woman who was similar to herself. Thirsty for power, and willing to do anything to get it. Well, _almost _anything in her case. But it was close enough.

"Very well," Cinder said with a nod of her head. "I will entrust you and your men to find someplace for me to think and finalize plans for the better part of the rest of this week. You have eighteen hours, do not keep me waiting for long."

Tenne smiled, satisfied with Cinder's agreement.

"As you wish, my lady."

* * *

**And now an old-ish character officially makes her way to a potential threat. Interestingly enough, I originally going to have Tenne get killed early on or captured during the raid, but after a talk with my beta, we decided that it would be better if she stayed around a little longer. At least until things start to get a little more… hectic. Make of that what you will. **

**T w itter. com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	28. Chapter 28

**Here we are and here we go!**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 28**

* * *

Ruby stood awkwardly away from the rest of her team and friends. Yang has been able to get back on her feet without any help recently and Weiss was the first to recover straight after. They trained lightly together, slowly getting back into the shape and in the groove of things. It was nice seeing them get along after Yang gave Weiss a hard time just a few short months ago around the beginning of their first semester at Beacon. Jaune and Ren were there as well, training not far from them. From Team JNPR, they were the first to make a full recovery. Although they looked terrifying close to death earlier, she was assured that it was just because of the blood loss and oils and blood from the Grimm and the train that they crashed in. Nora was conscious but still in bed, recovering from a minor concussion of her own after one of the pieces of debris hit her in the side of the face, and Pyrrha was still out and unconscious from the last time she heard about her. Though that was to be expected, she was the one who fought the most and the hardest. Not to put down her other teammates any, but she was just up against much harder opponents and near-impossible odds against the likes of the Grimm and Marcus Black himself. Honestly, Ruby was just happy that she was alive.

Thinking of the man that had destroyed Team RWBY and now hurt her friends made her frown and face scrunch up in a mix of negative emotions. She hated him. She never thought she'd be capable of hating anyone, but she hated him more than anything in the world. Then there was Cinder and Emerald, the former apparently being the _real _one behind everything bad happening in Vale and the latter apparently pretended to be her friend and was the direct accomplice of Marcus Black himself. It was a deep betrayal that came suddenly. Thankfully, she wasn't that close to Emerald. She thought they were friends, but distant if anything. It hurt hearing about her being arrested and being a traitor, but in order to be a traitor, she'd need to be on their side in the first place. She was glad that she was gone and locked away forever. There hadn't even been a trial. Marcus got a enough of a confession out of her that was more than enough to warrant it, and it wasn't like any lawyer would risk their jobs trying to defend a girl like her.

But still, Marcus Black helping them? The thought was so… misplaced. Even though it very clearly wasn't. How could the man who was potentially responsible for her mothers death ever do anything to help them?

"Hey," A tanned hand lightly smacked her on the side of the head, snapping her out of it. "Stop that, I was asked to train you not to be a student councilor. Tch." Harriet Bree, one of the best of the best huntresses in all of Atlas spat to the side and did some ballistic stretching with her arms.

Harriet was asked by her uncle Qrow to train her because he was going to be too busy with Ozpin and Ironwood that day apparently. If Ruby wasn't so nervous, depressed, and awkward at the moment she would have been a lot more excited to meet her. She was one of the best huntresses in the world! She should have been excited! But for some reason, that feeling was just so… null, for the lack of a better word she knew. Harriet was there, and while that did make her smile somewhat, it wasn't anything to remember. Besides, she was _asked _to train her. Because she was too weak and slow without her semblance and _needed _the extra training. Harriet wasn't doing this out of the goodness of her heart.

"Sorry," She mumbled absentmindedly when Harriet took another step toward her.

Harriet picked up on her dull tone and sighed to herself. Already feeling bad. "Don't be, kid, I've heard about everything you and your team went through. I might not be the best person to talk to, but I can't lie to say that I wouldn't feel anything if I lost any of my teammates. To actually _lose _one of them though?" She winced after just thinking about the possibility. "You are stronger than most. I might be a little prickly on the surface, so I'm sorry about that, but I wouldn't have accepted your uncles proposal if I didn't at least care."

Ruby's eyes snapped back up and she couldn't help it. Getting praise from one of the best huntresses on Remnant? That was something that was able to bring a smile to her face, however slight it may have been.

"There ya go," Harriet smirked and patted her on the head. "Now, I watched some of the videos that your uncle recorded of you and him training in the past, so I have a vague idea of how you fight. Since you lost your semblance, however, I'm not exactly up to date anymore. So we'll start off with some light sparring so I can see what I am working with here. You down?"

"Yeah, I can do that." Ruby took out Crescent Rose and shifted it into its ready state. "I'm not as fast as I used to be though, so I'm not even as good as those videos you watched."

"We'll see," Harriet said as yellow lightning crackled around her body. Her mechanical weapons shifted down to her arms and she took a stance that implied that she fought in a hand to hand style. Similar to Yang. But Ruby knew better than to draw comparisons between one of the best huntresses out there and a simple huntress in training in her first year at Beacon.

Harriet was the first to attack, but was careful not to overdo her semblance and be too fast for Ruby to keep up with. Ruby blocked her fists with the staff of Crescent Rose, albeit frantically. And made space between the two of them by aiming the barrel at the end of her weapon and opening fire. She lost much of the control when using this tactic along with her semblance, but Uncle Qrow didn't have a speed semblance and he was able to make it look so easy. She relied on that knowledge and kept using it in order to master the technique. Harriet looked surprised but not unpleased when the close and personal range turned into sniper rifle range, and with a smirk, she quickly closed the distance before Ruby could take aim with her sniper.

Ruby widened her eyes with surprise when Harriet suddenly zoomed up to her with speed that rivaled— No, _surpassed _her own semblance when she still had it. She always knew that there had to be another semblance out there similar to her own, but she didn't think it would be _this _crazy. Harriet took speed and mobility and control and raised it up to a whole new level and this was her _holding back!_

She was amazing!

Ruby smiled as she felt her arms burn as they futilely tried to keep up with the huntress, and Harriet smiled when she noticed that Ruby wasn't backing down or giving up despite utterly losing this sparring match. Harriet pulled her punches, but to Ruby's already weakened aura, there were bruises that started to form each time Harriet landed one of her metal fists on her body. However, that didn't mean that Ruby got nothing on her.

Ruby ducked underneath one of her punches and then dove away from the kick that followed immediately after. Harriet chased after her, but found herself being pulled forward without her power doing so. Ruby pulled the trigger of her weapon and the blade of Crescent Rose dug into the aura on her back. Harriet grit her teeth as she felt her aura flare on her back as she was forced forward and then _clotheslined_.

She didn't flip over herself as dramatically as some people made it seem, but Ruby's forearm crashed against her chest and she fell backward over Crescent Rose's blade and onto the top of her back. She rolled through with the momentum provided to her, and she crossed her arms in an X formation in order to block the boot that would have smashed into her face otherwise. Through her guard, Harriet smiled, and when Ruby tiredly fell to the ground exhausted already, she lowered her guard and huffed.

"You caught me off guard there," Harriet said with a smirk. "Good job punishing me for underestimating you. Imagine if you had your semblance there, you would be giving me a run for my money."

"I… don't think… that's true." Ruby said as she plopped back on her butt in a sitting position. "You were holding back so much."

"You could tell?" Harriet asked, genuinely surprised. It was obvious that she would be holding back against a first-year student, but she thought she at least made it a little convincing.

"Yeah, I know what it's like moving really fast," Ruby explained. "You didn't look like you were using a whole lot of energy, where when I used mine at high speeds I get tired. I think you could go even faster, can't you?"

"I could," Harriet confirmed with a nod. "But this wouldn't really be training if all I did was kick your ass all around the school, not would it?" Ruby laughed along with her at the lighthearted joke. "But when you get your semblance back, we'll really see who's faster than the other."

Ruby blanched and her silver-eyed widened before she closed in on herself, awkward and nervous once again. The topic of her former semblance was still a sore spot for her, and Harriet understood why. She couldn't imagine being as fast a fighter as she is now, and then suddenly losing that speed and part of her aura.

"Listen," Harriet sat cross-legged in front of her. Matching her level. "You're going to have to get used to fighting without your semblance now. I get why you're discouraged, really, I do, but that doesn't mean you can give up."

"I'm not!" Ruby snapped in a quick protest.

"At this rate, you might." Harriet continued. "I didn't say you already did, but you looked like a kicked puppy every time someone mentions the fact that you got your semblance stolen from you." Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Harriet cut her off the moment her voice began to manifest. "Don't try and deny it, you're fifteen years old. It's just natural to feel bad for yourself at times. But you won't always be stuck like this- Look at me." The huntress grabbed Ruby's chin and forced her to look into her eyes. "You're going to get your semblance back, in the honor of all the Ace Ops, I promise you that. But until that happens, it's going to take an unknown amount of time before you get that semblance back. So you need to master yourself, _conquer _yourself. Do you understand?"

"I…" Ruby bit her lip and looked away, but Harriet pulled her chin and made her look into her hot pink eyes. Unable to look away, she was forced to think about Harriets words and take them face to face. It made sense given what she has found out about Harriet so far, she seemed like the kind of woman to take her problems head-on and never gives up or takes no for an answer. Always striving to get stronger, and better. Before she lost her semblance, she was the same way. If they'd met while she still had her speed, things may have turned out better between the two, but even without it, Ruby looked up to her with sparkling eyes like she was the greatest huntress in the world. "Yeah, I understand!"

"Good," Harriet helped her up and pushed Crescent Rose back into her arms. "Then take that big ass scythe of yours and swing it at me until you hit me again or until your arms get too tired to even move. For the next few weeks while the festival is amongst us and the Ace Ops are in town, I'll be your trainer. Now, do you think you can handle that squirt?"

Ruby replied by cocking back Crescent Rose, loading a dust round with a hungry look in her eyes.

Harriet smiled, yellow lightning crackled around her eyes and all around her body.

"Good."

She never prided herself in being a great teacher, but if there was one thing she was good at it was dodging Ruby's bullets, tapping her on the forehead, and then letting the girl create distance over and over again for hours until the girl finally worked herself into passing out.

* * *

Ozpin tapped a finger on his desk as he looked at the red-headed girl sitting across from him in the seat meant for students who he needed to speak to personally on some matters. Sometimes they were in trouble, other times it was to pass on some bad or good news, and sometimes it was for potential recruitment into his circle. The last was one he hadn't used in quite some time, but it was usually always a good way to gain allies. Get them when they are young and eager, when they are willing to lay their lives down to protect people from the Grimm, that is the best time to find them. It was how he was able to get Team STRQ in his service so easily. Summer Rose was the perfect choice and the rest fell into line once they saw their leader so enthused with the idea of saving the world from the great threat of Salem and her allies.

Here, he didn't feel nearly as calm as he did before. For one, he wasn't alone. Far from it. On either side stood General Ironwood and Winter Schnee, the latter of whom just recently got out of the hospital after the same experimental medical treatment given to Qrow was done on her with fantastic results. Qrow himself was next to her, and next to him was Taiyang and Glynda. On the side of Ironwood was the entirety of the Ace Ops save for Harriet Bree. Though he was sure that she was going to get briefed as soon as humanly possible so she wasn't too far behind in the loop of things.

"Miss Nikos," Ozpin spoke softly. "I am sorry to pull you out of the hospital as soon as you woke up, you must be confused. But I assure you, I wouldn't have done this without good reason."

"I know," Pyrrha nodded her head tiredly. A mere hour ago she was still in a coma, and shortly after waking up she was given a dust drug to give her an adrenaline boost and wake her up. "Mister Clover made sure to explain to me that this was important. Though I have to ask, how are the rest of my teammates?"

"Mister Arc and Mister Ren are awake and getting back in shape," To prove it to her, Ozpin flicked a switch and his computer turned around to show Pyrrha a live recording of her two male teammates sitting next to each other talking to one of their other friend. A blonde faunus who seemed to harbor no shame in the way he picks his clothing, she wasn't all too familiar with him, but Jaune seemed to be. She smiled at the sight, and almost asked about Nora before she remembered that she was still sleeping beside her in the bed adjacent to hers. She wasn't in a coma, just recovering from a variety of minor injuries along with a concussion. With that all handled and confirmed for her, Pyrrha sighed through her nose and sat back into her seat, much more relaxed than she was before.

Ozpin could see the exhaustion in her green eyes. The dark spots around her eyes and a paler composition to her skin's color. If he could have it any other way, he would have let her rest until she was fully recovered. Sadly, he just didn't have the luxury of time on his side this time.

"As you know, the tournament begins tomorrow morning." Ozpin began. "Since you and your team are injured and exhausted as you are, you will not be able to participate."

"I understand." Pyrrha didn't seem saddened by the news like her partner was, but that was to be expected. She's been fighting in tournaments all her life.

"Also, the threat of the White Fang and terroristic acts in Vale is at an all-time high," Ironwood continued for him. "We do not aim to intimidate you with the presence of so many powerful figures Miss Nikos. The matter we are about to discuss with you is to not leave this room no matter the outcome. I will warn you that no words will be minced, and the very fate of everyone in this room, the innocents in Vale, and huntresses and huntsmen in training from all four academies are at risk. Cinder Fall, the White Fang, Marcus Black, and Emerald Sustrai are only a few names that bring along the threat with promise."

"Hey, first things first," Taiyang interrupted the general and stepped forward. "How are you feeling? Heard you got in a spat with the man himself, that couldn't have been easy for you."

"He defeated me so easily…" Pyrrha looked down in shame as she remembered her short battle with Marcus that lasted less than ten seconds but ended in her crushing defeat. "I thought I could hold him off for at least a minute but… I was very wrong."

"There is nothing to be ashamed about there kid," Qrow said. "He was able to hold both me and the Specialist here off for basically the entire train ride, and beat both of us in the end by outsmarting us. If anyone should be ashamed, it's us. We were supposed to protect you, and we nearly let all four of you die."

"For that, we apologize," Winter added. "You may not accept it, but we offer it anyway. We were both defeated despite having the advantage in numbers. If we had acted more intelligently, we may have been able to defeat him before the train crashed like it did."

"I-" Pyrrha stopped herself. "I understand, thank you for doing your best. Know that no ill will is present."

Qrow and Winter nodded their heads.

"With that out of the way now…" Ironwood shot Taiyang and Qrow a glare. "Ozpin, Glynda, do you think it is time to explain our offer?"

"Soon," Ozpin said while holding up a hand, silencing the General. Surprisingly enough to Pyrrha, the General listened and bowed his head submissively. "Firstly, I'd like to better explain the situation we find ourselves in. Miss Nikos, tell me, what do you think is happening in Vale right now?"

"Marcus Black is up to something," Pyrrha answered immediately. "From the looks on your faces, I assume it is something big that as the General stated earlier, could put to risk everyone's lives of Vale and Beacon."

"Close, but unfortunately that is just scratching the surface." Ozpin paused and sipped out of his mug, finishing it all in one go. "You have been asleep for quite some time so I expected that you would not be very well caught up with the news of the kingdom. But Marcus Black is not as big of a threat as we originally thought. He was but an accomplice to a much greater evil."

"Was…?" Pyrrha blanched.

"Yes," Ozpin continued. "Was. It turns out that Marcus was forced into working with them some way or another," He made sure to leave out the fact that Marcus had apparently been forced to kill his own son a few years after his wife was murdered by the very organization that tore him away from the life of a huntsman decades ago. While that was a depressing thing for the immortal to think about since he could actually relate very well to the pain of losing family members in similar ways, Pyrrha did not need to know that just yet. His feelings were conflicting enough as it was. "While you were out, we received a call that beckoned us to track down his scroll and locate the facility in which his organization was hidden. This organization is the ones who were responsible for countless assassinations all over the world, and he not only gave us a way to root out this Valean base but also ousted the true threat to Vale that has been hiding right under our noses."

"Cinder Fall and Emerald Sustrai, two women whom I once called my own students. Were ousted as terrorists and murderers and conspirators. And Marcus handed one of them right to us." Ozpin took a moment to collect his thoughts and take in a deep breath before continuing. "Marcus' confusing actions aside, when it came to Cinder Fall, I met and even battled her for a few moments before her and the ones who work for her retreated after realizing that she'd been betrayed. Her powers in particular were extraordinary, and it gave even me a difficult albeit manageable confrontation. After giving it some thought and looking over the recordings, I have come to realize that she is the one that stole one-half of the powers of the fall maiden."

"Fall maiden…?" Pyrrha's tired eyes scrunched down in her confusion. She was keeping up with everything that the headmaster said up until that point. "You mean the fairy tale that I was told as a child? That most children were told as a child at some point?"

"Yes," The General returned with his answer. "The story that you are familiar with is in fact true. The four seasonal maidens exist, and each of them holds an unimaginable power that could either be a great ally of humanity or it's bane. Magic."

"Yes, he said magic," Clover repeated at Pyrrha's further confused expression. "Magic is real, trust me, me and the Ace Ops had just as hard of a time believing it ourselves. But if you look around here, we are all being completely serious."

Pyrrha did as it was implied and looked around to the other faces in the office of the headmaster. Qrow Branwen, Taiyang Xiao Long, Winter Schnee, Glynda Goodwitch, Ozpin, the General and the present members of the Ace Ops all nodded along to Ironwoods words, reinforcing them as the complete truth. Pyrrha didn't know what to think. The last time she'd been awake she was protecting her friends from the claws of the Grimm, and now she was having an existential crisis. If Magic and the season maidens, what other fairy tales were real? The story of the brothers? Lady in the Tower? The story of a fallen hero?

Her head fell into her hands as she thought. It was too much to process all at the same time.

Ozpin gave her a few minutes to collect herself, and thankfully she was able to calm down on her own. He didn't think anyone in that room would have been able to help her at that moment because suddenly, they were all strangers to her again.

"What we are asking you next is going to be a difficult choice for you to make, but one that you must make your decision by the end of tomorrow. Before that, however, tell me, do you still have access to your semblance?"

Pyrrha wondered why he would ask such a question. Pyrrha looked up at him and looked for anything metal and settled for a metal thermos that was placed at the edge of Ozpin's desk. It was probably placed there intentionally and she could imagine why they wanted to test her suddenly. Marcus _did _manage to grab her while they were fighting on the train.

Pyrrha focused on her aura and semblance and stretched out her right hand. It flickered black and the metal thermos fell over. Just doing that made her feel pain, but she still felt the presence of her semblance. Even if it did feel a little weak…

"Yes," Pyrrha said with a determined nod. "I am weak now, but it is still there. I didn't get it stolen…" She sighed explosively out of apparent relief. Everyone in that room knew why. They didn't show it, but they were all holding their breath to see what happened next. After a few moments, Ozpin nodded and smiled. Pleased with the first good news he'd heard in a long while.

"That is fantastic news, now, Miss Nikos, we all have an offer to make for you. The previous fall maiden was attacked and part of her power was stolen as you know, but the maiden is still alive. Amber, is her name, and we have developed a way to transfer what is left of her power to a new and willing host. If possible, we'd like that host to be you…"

* * *

Cinder and Adam waited patiently in the same room, and left the entrance to that room wide open for various reasons. One of them being so that their next visitor didn't get any ideas and try to 'prank' them by breaking through a window or thinking that it was some kind of test and he needed to make his way into the building stealthily. Just in case Tyrian got that idea anyway though, Cinder made sure that this particular hideout was one that was expendable and not really needed.

"When is he arriving?" Adam asked, slowly growing impatient.

"I will not rush him, that may make him more annoying when he finally arrives." Cinder scoffed. "Be patient Taurus, your time will come to kill Marcus. Of that, I promise you."

"Your promises mean nothing, I wait for action." Adam sneered. "Black is in the way of the White Fang's revolution, and I will remove that threat myself."

"With help," Cinder mocked.

Adam scowled but didn't correct her. She was right after all, he knew he couldn't beat him on his own after observing his skills from various recordings and meeting him himself almost a year ago when Cinder came to recruit him and the Vale branch of the White Fang. He was the strongest in the White Fang, which was why he couldn't take any chances and accepted the help of Cinders associate as easily as he did. It was a necessity. Nothing more, nothing less.

So they waited. Cinder talked to Salem through a Seer earlier in the day to let her know about the most recent developments in her mission. Excluding her choice words of disappointment, Salem was all for the idea of sending Tyrian out to find Marcus and Neo with the help of Adam in hopes of ridding the master assassin as a serious threat. The Seer parted from her after Salem assured her that she would find Tyrian and tell him to go to Vale and find her. It shouldn't be that hard since they exchanged multiple messages throughout the day via scroll and two separate signal boosters for their hidden and private server. Tyrian was much more sane through text than he was in person that it was honestly a little scary. But that was just part of the package that came with his skills. She sent him the location where she and Adam would be waiting for him, and any moment now he would be arriving at the estimated time he promised her through text.

That time was around now. Tensions aside, she was getting a little impatient herself. Tyrian always liked to irritate her whenever he could, but this was getting out of hand. He knew the seriousness of the situation and her mission in recovering the second half of the fall maiden's powers. If anything, he would listen to her for Salem, and that was enough.

Eventually, after about another fifteen minutes of her and Adam sitting in a tense silence, they heard something land just outside the open doorway. Cinder sighed through her nose as she saw a man wearing a very oversized trench coat that was just slightly bloodied near the left tail end. A scorpion tail wriggled out of the coat and Tyrian's yellow eyes flashed purple for a moment in the darkness just before he let the coat fall over his shoulders and around his feet.

"I have arrived!" Tyrian screamed as he stepped into the building, showing off the scars on his chest with his barely concealing white shirt. "I do apologize for being slightly late, I saw someone wearing this thrifty coat and I just _had _to take it. Unfortunately, he wasn't all too keen on giving it up." The fact that the coat had blood on it and was in Tyrians possession told the rest of the story.

Tyrian dashed forward and into Cinder's face. The woman didn't flinch but Adam placed a hand on the hilt of Wilt just in case it was an attack, stopping himself only when he noticed that Tyrian didn't draw the very obvious weapons he had on his forearms and wrists. Quite disappointed at the fact that Cinder still wasn't afraid of him, Tyrian tilted his head and licked his lips.

"So, let us get right to the point then. Who are you so afraid of that you called for help from none other than myself?" Tyrian asked, leaning back and balancing himself on his tail as if it was a chair.

"Marcus Black," Cinder didn't bother to correct him, it only would have amused him. If being honest with herself, there _was _a small degree of fear. But only because she wasn't sure if she could beat him if she was caught off guard. In a straight fight, she would win. But in Amber's case, she had more power than even she did at the time and yet Marcus caught her off guard and was the one who took her down in the end. It didn't matter how much power she had if she didn't have the time to use it. "I'm told you know of him."

"Know of him!?" Tyrian burst out into laughter. "I idolize him! You should _see _some of the carnage he leaves behind after he completes his major contracts! I mean, did you see the news when Atlas lost Willow Schnee's brother? Ha! That was historical! I can only dream of creating that much chaos! I mean, killing huntsmen and police and innocent children are all well and good, but in the grand scheme of things it only really matters when its someone with a position of power."

"Do you think you can defeat him?" Adam asked, irritated that he hasn't yet been addressed yet and making himself known.

"Oh? Are you the one I'm apparently supposed to fight with?" Tyrian reeled upon Adam and got dangerously close to him. Adam gritted his teeth and refrained from shoving his potential ally away even when Tyrian took it to the next level and sniffed him. Apparently pleased with his scent, Tyrian took a step back and marveled at him as if he was art on display. "I smell the scent of blood on you. I like that. And you started young too, even better. Tell me, how many people have you killed."

"I don't count," Adam replied.

"Good!" Tyrian bellowed. "I don't either. I lost count somewhere in the hundreds. Being a serial killer is hard work however, so now I only specifically kill huntsmen unless I get bored or interested enough to after the weaker sheep." He picked at his nails and flicked away a piece of flesh. "Anyway, what was it you asked me again?"

Adam growled lightly, but he kept his composure enough to repeat himself.

"Ah! Right, well, I don't know."

"What do you mean to don't know?" Cinder asked, shocked.

"Well, I never saw him fight before!" Tyrian pointed out as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "He could be the best warrior in the world or he could be the worst. Those little recordings you sent me are of him fighting others and usually they are either in large numbers or are just too weak to pose much of a threat to him. I doubt he even tried very hard to dispose of him. Though I _did _enjoy watching the video where he killed-"

"It is in your best interests that you do not bring that up, Tyrian." Cinder warned him. She didn't care for Adam's feelings, but if those got in the way of him working with Tyrian then she was going to have none of it.

"Ugh, already using our Queens power against me I see," Tyrian sighed and leaned on his tail again. "Very well, I _think _I can beat him. He uses knives, a gun, and underhanded tactics along with a very great amount of skill. Though I have taught myself to fight against huntsmen and learned how to kill them with and without my semblance. However, as a parallel, Mister Black has also trained to kill them, and probably has just as much experience as I do in doing so." He giggled excitedly at the thought. "It will be very entertaining to throw myself against him."

"I'd advise against that," Adam said. "His semblance is to steal other semblances. If he grabs you, you'll permanently lose aura along with your semblance."

"Ah, don't you worry about that." With a sickening demonic sound, Tyrian's purple aura flared around his hand before flickering out. "I have the perfect counter for that."

"And that is?"

"You'll see~"

"I am already regretting calling you here." Cinder said with a frown. "But It is too late to change my mind. You are here and as much as I hate to admit it, I need you to do this for me."

"Give me one week," Tyrian said as he held up a single finger. "One week, you get the rest of whatever your plans are set in stone and be prepared to enact on them. At the end of that week, I promise you his head, and much more~" He giggled maniacally again. "I heard he had a girl with him, a fighting one too~ Eeee! This is going to be so exciting! Come, Adam!"

Adam looked very uncomfortable to have Tyrian jump to his side and wrap an arm around his shoulder and pulled into Tyrians side. And he did the right thing in pushing him away when he did. Not that it affected Tyrian at all.

"We have assassins to kill! Things to do! Heads to decapitate!" Tyrian went on as he dragged Adam out of the door. "Oh, and also, since we're going to be working together, does that mean I am part of the White Fang?"

"No."

"Can I at least wear the mask?"

"I'll give you a mask after we're done with this mission."

Cinder smirked as the two of them bickered and left the room. Oh, Adam hated Tyrian already, but Tyrian seemed to like Adam a lot. That was good, and that meant they would both work together against the common enemy that was Marcus Black. In the end that was everything that mattered.

In terms of solidifying her plans, they were already adjusted and well on their way. All she needed to do now was wait for the best opportunity to attack. The citizens of Vale were already angry with Ozpin and put off by Ironwood. The breach plan may have ended in disaster, but they'd failed to capture either Marcus or Neo and left the least threatening one, Roman, dead. That coupled with the murder of a student on Beacon grounds, the anger from Menageries leaders and faunus discrimination just rising higher and higher as a result was more than enough to arouse some negative emotions en masse.

All it took now was the straw that broke the camels back. Just one more thing to go wrong, and what better stage than one that is broadcasted worldwide?

Not even _he _would be able to do anything about it when everything comes to fruition. If he even lives long enough to see it.

* * *

**And there we go. Quick explanation, the reason why I ended the Pyrrha/Ozpin scene was because the rest of it went down pretty much the same as it did in the show. Ozpin made the offer, pushed for her to understand, Pyrrha said yes but was given time to think about it, etc, etc. The only difference is that Pyrrha only has a day to think about it. Which means either tomorrow in the story or the day after. I might push it to be the day after just to give myself a little more time. But next chapter, the tournament begins. Wish me luck on that, because there are a lot of looses ends to tie. Or to leave untied… who knows, this story already has a lot of potential. I'll think about what to do with it next at a later time. **

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	29. Chapter 29

**Here we are again. So, I have a question for you guys real quick. If you are a reader from one of my other stories like An Unlikely Hero, Detective Grimm, Blind Huntsman, etc, then you know that I am quite the planner. I like to plan ahead, or at least mentally. I really should write it down, but that is more of a topic for another time. I want to know if you guys would enjoy one last big humungous chapter for the upcoming battle for Beacon. Of course, we are not there just yet, but you guys should already know that it is coming. This is fanfiction after all. And this chapter will be HUGE and wrap up everything that has happened in this story. If I had to guess for this story, probably around 30,000 words give or take depending on how I write it.**

**Or, I could break it up into a bunch of smaller chapters. Maybe like 3 or 4 6-8k word chapters. Personally, I think a huge chapter will be easier ironically because I can just keep going and going until it's done in about a week's worth of writing. And it would get out faster since I wouldn't have to wait for about 2 weeks in order to get the other chapters out. Thoughts? Please let me know in the reviews!**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 29**

* * *

The Vytal festival began with roaring approval, The tournament itself was a hot attraction, thousands upon thousands of people were already lined up in the seats screaming and cheering on their home kingdom. People from all over the world, Vacuo, Mistral, Atlas, and of course Vale. It was like nothing ever bad happened, this festival and tournament was going to be something that people would remember fondly for years to come until the next festival came around, rumored to be hosted in Atlas or Vacuo next.

It was already something Ruby was never to go forget. Once, she'd been to one of the previous festivals when she was thirteen years old. Her dad took her and Yang to Mistral where it was being held, and she always remembered it as one of the most fun experiences she's ever had, even now after two years. Being able to attend another, albeit saddened to not be able to take part in it, was something that brought a smile to her face.

Yang and Weiss were the same way, sitting next to her and bickering on and on about their two different perspectives of the world around them as someone from the simple homey island of Patch and from someone who has lived their life able to get anything and everything they wanted with a literal push of a button. It was hilarious to listen to, and she had to keep taking Yang's side whenever she had to confirm something, which always lead to some betrayed feelings from Weiss. It was nice seeing them smiling however, after everything that happened, they needed this. The festival couldn't have come at a better time. It was the perfect distraction from what happened to Blake and everything going down in Vale. Actually, thinking of Vale, she's heard that not a lot has been going down there ever since that raid on a secret organization that has been all over every single news channel that ever existed. It's been quiet, a little too quiet for her tastes, but Harriet assured her that the reason that it was quiet was because the police and General Ironwoods men were cracking down extra hard on crimes and were hunting down and going after any visible sign of the White Fang. Which was great. Better it be professional huntsmen than four girls still in training.

Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha sat in the row in front of them. They were all in the same boat that they were in, only that they didn't lose a teammate. Which was amazing. Ruby cried tears of joy when she heard that no one lost their life due to their injuries. It meant that she didn't just lose another friend. She didn't have to go through that pain again, and she could tell that Weiss and Yang were just as relieved as she was. It was sad that they couldn't participate in the tournament, and it brought worldwide disappointment to hear that not even Pyrrha could join. But it also came with great understanding. She'd crossed blades with Marcus Black himself and not only survived, but came close to assisting in his capture. With the disappointment came even more fanboys and girls, which was something the redhead was hilariously flustered about.

She did seem more reserved and exhausted than her other teammates, who all still wore an arrangement of bandages and casts for their wounds. But that was to be expected. Out of all of them, she fought the most and was arguably injured the most. She herself also had a number of visible yet healing wounds and bruises. Such as a pale complexion, bags under her eyes, and it looked like she was straining every time she was laughing or smiling. Ruby was worried about her in all honesty, but she was more happy over the fact that she _was _smiling in the first place.

Sun's team, abbreviated as SSSN — which made a small amount of sense but no one complained about it — were up next in the tournament's first round. After Blake's death, Sun took it a little harder than anyone else did. He tried to bring her to the dance and tried to get her to open up to him but each attempt lead to failure. Then at the actual dance itself, he tried to find Blake but failed to see her sneaking out of the ballroom after some girl screamed at Cardin for him trying to touch her. It was sad seeing him so depressed as he was. It seemed so out of character for him. He didn't even leave his shirt undone like he usually did. But as time went on, and having a good group of friends to lean on, he was able to finally pull himself out of that dark spot.

He really did like Blake. After seeing him share their pain, it was clear that he would be a friend of their team for the rest of time.

His team went up against some other team from Vacuo. Team INDG as Professor Ooobleck announced them. She couldn't hear what they were saying to each other as the professor eagerly went over the rules of the tournament and what is and isn't allowed to be used as a weapon, but she could imagine it was a bit of smack talk. There weren't many teams in Beacon that could back up their words, and although Sun's team is from Haven, they could and would very well back up their words with action. The all-girl team didn't seem all that approving of his confidence and Neptunes easy start to flirting with them from what she could guess. But what surprised her the most was when the stage all around them went from a bland wide open silver arena to half-desert and half-ocean after a digital dial spun to select the supposedly random stage set. She didn't know dust could be used like that, and Amity Arena must have had a _massive _stockpile of dust if it was able to produce that much sand, water, and trees and somehow sustain it. Dust was truly magical if you put it in the right hands. And what better hands to leave a giant flying arena powered completely by dust than Atlas?

The battle was intense and left her hanging on the edge of her seat. But in the end, Team SSSN came out on top. Once Sun got Neptune to get off his vantage point and get somewhere near the water, it was all over for the last remaining members of the all-girl team. As Professor Port was congratulating them and they were doing their little funny victory dance, Sun looked through the crowd and quickly found her and her team and JNPR, winked, and waved right at them. They all waved back excitedly. Ecstatic for the victory of their friends from Haven. They might have been from Mistral, and the headmaster of Haven might be in all sorts of trouble at the moment after it was revealed that he was the one responsible for the terrifying decline of huntsmen and huntresses. He was already replaced and the new headmaster Albedo was hand-chosen by the council of not only Mistral but from Ozpin and Ironwood as well.

The next fight that came next came in the form of Team CRDL. In some strange turn of events, they became the favorite out of Beacon to win. Besides the former Team RWBY and Team JNPR, they were in third place in terms of popularity in terms of first years. Team CVFY was the obvious betters to their minors, but Cardin and his team had the power of the underdog on their side. After everything that happened in Vale and the murder in Beacon. Cardin surprisingly showed a empathetic side that shocked literally shook all of the first years in their class when he came up to her, Yang, and Weiss two days after Blake was murdered and apologized to them for what happened, and for being an asshole. In front of everyone. Who knew?

So yes, it felt natural for her and the rest of her friends to cheer for Cardin, Russel, Dove, and Sky when they came up to the stage brandishing their weapons and waving to the crowd with excited expressions on their faces. Though the competition was tight and high against them when their opponents were a team from Atlas. The same team that Penny was on.

"Go, Penny!" Ruby cried out for the friend she hasn't seen in several weeks. "You can do this!"

Cardin somehow heard her and huffed indignantly.

"Er, you too Cardin! Good luck!"

Cardin rolled his eyes and prepared to fight. Across from them, Penny, her partner Ciel and their two other teammates all took a very professional and militaristic formation. It seemed that Ruby's cheers went completely one-sided.

"Pft, nice sis." Yang teased as she nudged her in the side. "After looking at that, I'd hope Cardin knows when to give up."

"He's strong," Jaune said with a strong nod of his head. "He might have been a bully before, but it isn't like he doesn't have the strength to be a huntsman."

"His entire team lost against Pyrrha," Nora pointed out with a giggle. "I might have forgiven him for being a meanie to Jaune, but we can't deny that there is a pretty big gap between our teams in terms of skill."

"That's because you guys have Pyrrha. It's Pyrrha." Yang shrugged. "She beats entire teams every day as a warmup. I bet its not even a workout for you, is it Pyr?"

"What?" Pyrrha looked at her with a confused and startled look on her face.

"I asked if you beating an entire team is hard for you," Yang repeated patiently. "And I bet it isn't even a workout for you."

"O-oh, nothing that dramatic." Pyrrha waved her off and didn't continue, simply turning her attention back to the tournament and watching it.

"Okay," Yang was slightly offended, but she didn't care to act on it. "That's a thing. Vomit Boy, make sure you check that out."

"Check what out?" Jaune asked, clueless.

Ren dragged a hand down his face and sighed. Typical Jaune and his denseness. Truly, he'd need something slapped in his face in order to actually understand something so simple like Pyrrha's feelings for him.

Ruby shook her head just as everyone else did and went back to watching the fight. It would be interesting seeing how Cardin would do against Penny and her team. She's never seen his semblance in action before, though she was told it had something to do with metal weapons and explosions. Which would sorta explain the whole explosive mace thing he's got going on.

Either way, she was going to enjoy the show. Nothing was going to ruin this for her and her friends.

* * *

Neo strolled through the festival grounds and nobody stopped her. Which was something she was both offended by and pleased of. It meant nobody recognized her, and if that was the case than her new disguise was a success. Instead of the black-haired green-eyed form that wore a skirt that was known around Beacon as one of Cinder's teammates, she was in a new ashen haired form with blue eyes instead. Practically polar opposites of that previous illusion. It became so easy for her to change appearance that it became second nature to her, and Marcus gave his okay on this particular form, so that was a plus in her book. What was more important was the lopsided set of faunus dog ears she had on top of her head. She was here for a reason, not to have fun, unfortunately.

Getting into the festival itself was nothing short of flashing a fake ticket shaped from her illusion and getting let right in. This wasn't Amity, but it was the area below it that was reserved for games, events, concerts, and anything you can name that would see like fun to the mostly normie population of the world. Marcus would have been able to sneak in after stealing a ticket or just finding some other way in, but after his most recent stunts, he was pretty infamous in not just Vale but around Remnant as a whole. He was the number one most wanted man after all, and funnily enough the second most wanted was Cinder after Marcus had ratted her out. So it was better to send the girl that was barely known and had a semblance to make illusions for just about anything the human imagination could think of instead. It was the smartest choice, and even if she did get caught she could just make herself invisible, hop in her little pocket dimension, and appear somewhere else.

As much as she would have enjoyed the little activities she saw all around her, she was on a mission given to her by Marcus. See if she could find any sign of the White Fang, infiltrate them, find out what they are planning and then report back to him. A simple stealth mission that shouldn't take more than a few hours. Or at least that was what she thought.

It turned out not _every_ group of faunus she walked up to were part of the White Fang. It might have been some of the second-hand racism that Roman had rubbed off on her, but she honestly found herself a little disappointed a slightly ashamed when her little hints and hand signs that were known throughout the White Fang went completely ignored or weren't understood whatsoever. It was definitely Roman's fault. She didn't know how he did it, he could just walk up to a faunus and know that they were part of the White Fang before they even confessed it themselves. Marcus would probably be able to do better too. Bah, now she was getting jealous for no good reason.

Eventually, she did find what she was looking for in the form of a poorly hidden weapon stashed in the back of some guys pants. Not willing to make the same mistake a fourth time, instead of walking up to him she simply tailed him for a few paces. The man with whiskers on his cheeks and fox ears on his head wore pretty normal clothing. Nothing particularly inconspicuous in a simple hoodie and blue jeans with pretty normal-looking shoes. The only thing that gave him away was the gun he had hidden in his pants. After about a minute, he stopped and talked to a friend of his who looked just as inconspicuous as he did, which was none, and the moved on to the next. This carried on for a few more minutes until the group grew to about six or seven people. Five men and two women.

They all stopped and Neo made sure to blend in with the crowd, but kept one of her eyes on them as she pretended to look at something an owner of a flea market was selling. Just one last thing to confirm before she moved in.

One of the women flashed a White Fang mask before hiding it back under her shirt. The men around her nodded their heads and welcomed her. Neo smirked and moved in, making her presence known as she walked straight at them and with a bright expression on her face. The group noticed her and were immediately on guard.

"Hello, is there anything we can do-" Neo shut him up after performing some quick gestures. A very simple sign-language devised by faunus in the White Fang. It told him that she was one of them, and the man replied with a nod of his head. "Welcome sister," He said in a more quiet voice. "I wasn't aware there were any more of us here, are you here for the _event _as well?"

Neo didn't know exactly what 'event' meant, but she nodded her head anyway.

"What's wrong? Why won't you speak?" One of the other women asked. "Was that supposed to be a yes."

Neo nodded her head a second time.

"Calm, sister," The original man she was tailing said in an authoritative tone. Interestingly, it turned out that he was the leader of this little group. Maybe he was an officer? He might have some crucial for her to report back to Marcus later. "Everyone has their quirks and preferences. Though, this is important to know, can you speak if we need you too?"

Neo was prepared for this inevitability. With a faked sad frown, she pulled down the collar of her hood in the illusion and showed the group a series of scars that ran around her entire neck and throat. She made it look like a brand, a brand from the SDC. The group before them swore and cursed the humans and the Schnee's. Promising that they would kill them all for everything they did against the faunus.

"Damn Schnee's," The leader cursed under his breath. "I can see what your is motivation for being here now. Come with us, there is to be a short meeting commencing soon. You are welcome to attend."

And just like that, Neo was in. She pulled that article of clothing up again to cover her throat, and she followed the rest of the group into a dark alleyway formed by tents and small portable buildings. She let the group ahead of her after opting to stay behind. Even if she had their trust, it wasn't smart to put herself in the middle of them. Cinder was smart, and the ones that she was working with had to be as well or else they wouldn't have been deemed worthy enough to work with her in the first place. Just in case she needed to escape, she had an open path behind her and more than enough time to hop into her semblance and disappear.

They lead her through a 'staff only' part of the festival and that was where things started to get a little more obvious for her. Faunus workers were knocked out and tied up, while their human counterparts lied dead on the floor in a puddle of their own blood. They were executed, a simple gunshot to the back of their head while they were forced to wear a bag over their head. Neo was numb to the sight of corpses, so it didn't bother her at all. She didn't even spare them a second glance as she followed further into the captured part of the area. The group before her all stopped in the center and after a few minutes of mingling around more of their kind filed through. The small meeting that the man mentioned earlier turned out to include a few dozen more people all crammed into one small area. Neo started to get a little worried and tried to stick to herself mostly, but she just couldn't find a spot to call her own completely. Some tried to speak to her, she flashed her fake scar, and they left her alone. When they started putting on their White Fang masks, she made an illusion to make it look like she was wearing one as well. Even when people saw her do it they didn't seem all that bothered by it. It was a semblance at the end of the day, and even when she worked with Roman she wasn't all that popular with the members of the White Fang. The only ones who _might _know of it were the slightly less incompetent officers of the terrorist organization that she was forced to work with from time to time before Marcus even showed up in Vale. And even then, none of them were here and they wouldn't recognize her new disguise anyway. That was the thing with her illusions, they looked real. You could even touch them and your brain would trick you into actually feeling it. They made sound and could fight, but they couldn't actually hurt people. That was the one con in an ocean of pros that she has mastered over the years.

After what seemed like another ten to fifteen minutes, people finally stopped filing into the little area that they were in. If it weren't for the tent's roof it what seemed to be a break area for the staff, anything above them like drones or just some lucky idiot would have been able to spot them. That was the only thing that protected them from detection. It was like they were all hiding in plain sight. Neo waited some more and all of the officers lined up on the front wall with a whiteboard with some plans and tactics written onto it. Neo looked at it and took a mental snapshot, but it wasn't anything she and Marcus didn't already know, so she stopped focusing on it and waited along with everyone else for whoever they were waiting for. Whoever it was, they had to be important to draw this much of a crowd. Most of these people looked like they were just enjoying themselves, and that was confirmed when she overheard two brothers complaining how they just wanted a single day to enjoy the festivities of the Vytal Festival before having to go back to work again.

Neo narrowed her eyes ever so slightly as she saw the unmistakable sight of bright red step into the room. Red hair, a custom-designed White Fang mask, black outfit and a long hilt that held his sword. Adam Taurus. Neo met him once, but he was the kind of person you just couldn't forget after meeting him once. She knew that he was the leader of the Vale's branch of the White Fang and heard that he was very powerful and skilled. She didn't doubt it, he looked like he meant business and never wasted time with anything he didn't need to. Marcus would want to know about this. Especially since Adam wasn't alone.

Another man was with him. He wore a long dark brown trench coat that was completely open on the front, revealing a very scarred chest and the rest of his outfit and potential weapons were hidden underneath said trench coat. His eyes were bright yellow and almost seemed to glow in the dark. What threw her off the most was the ear to ear grin that almost split his entire face in half as he looked on throughout the crowd. He had an uncomfortable aura without him. Just by being near him Neo felt like creating more distance between the two of them. Even more so when his long and scary looking scorpion tail came out in a stretch and wrapped around his waist.

The look in his eyes told her that he was insane. He's seen things, _killed _things, and didn't care about the consequences. The scariest thing about this unfamiliar face was that she had _no idea _who he was. She's never seen him before in her life. Maybe Marcus might have known, and just in case she fished out her scroll and snapped a quick picture of the man. Her semblance hid the entire action from visible sight, but she couldn't help but feel like he _knew _somehow. Every time the man looked around, it was always in her general direction.

"Is everyone here?" Adam spoke up, drawing the attention back to himself.

One of the officers came up and did a quick headcount. They actually had more than they expected.

"Good, now, this is Tyrian." Adam started, introducing the man beside him. "He is a sympathizer to our cause and will be working with us for our Vytal Festival Project."

"Hehe, that's one way to put it~" Tyrian said with a giggle. The closest faunus to him backed away after hearing it. "No need to be fearful around me, I will be working closely with your boss here. Believe me, my skills are going to be needed, and I have a very _particular _set of skills that are going to be very useful to this _cause _of yours. Hehe… You can all thank me later."

"Treat him as one of ours, or you will be hearing from me." Adam continued as if Tyrian didn't just terrify the entire group. "Does everyone understand their roles in what is to come? Or do I need to go over your part just one last time?"

A few hands raised slowly. Neo was tempted to raise hers as well, but it was better not to draw too much attention to herself so early.

"Hmph, very well. When the signal is given you will hear my voice across all intercoms," Adam said as he crossed his arms. It sounded like he explained this many times before, and likely had. "Once that happens, you will create as much chaos as possible. Attract attention to yourselves, scare people. That's it. I will give my speech to the world and Cinder will do the rest for us. Just follow our lead, that's all you have to do."

No one questioned him. No one even tried to go _against _him. That wasn't enough, she couldn't just go back with what they already figured was going to happen. They already knew something was going to happen during the festival they just didn't know what exactly it was going to be. Neo frowned in frustration as not a single person dared even raise a hand to ask for more details. Sheep, that's what they were. Beaten, obedient sheep listening to the big bad wolf in fear of making him angry.

With an internal curse, Neo made to raise her hand. Better to take a risk than leave with nothing and chance never getting this close to finding them again. Having Adam right here was just too big to pass up.

"No questions?" Tyrian's voice sounding out made her snap her hand back to her side. "Not a single one? We're telling you to kill people you know, that's pretty much a given if you want to be a part of this little operation."

"Tyrian," Adam's warning went completely ignored.

"Hm, not even _I _had no quarrels when it came to my first kill," Tyrian went on as nobody dared challenge him. "There's always the tears at first, but then came the joy. The blood tasted sweet in my mouth, my heart was beating violently and pleasurably. I just couldn't help but do it again and again. I started to get bored and wanted to go after the next _big fish_, so I trained myself to kill and here I am now. But still, no questions? Ha! And _I'm _supposed to be the crazy one?"

He hopped down from the small stage and walked into the crowd. The sheep spread apart to make a path for him. Not even Adam tried to stop him. He just watched and waited to see what was going to happen next.

"Come on, I'm sure there's a question boiling underneath your skin right now," Tyrian said as he walked around. "How do I kill? What do I kill? Where do I cause chaos? Who should I target? All those basic things, and yet I still hear no one."

Neo started to get nervous, there wasn't any more space to back up.

She felt her heart drop when he pointed a finger directly at her.

"I think _you _have a question," Tyrian said with wide yellow eyes as his finger pointed accusingly at her. Everyone that was near her broke away and left her alone against the obviously insane man. Abandoned quickly, she was forced to hold her ground. Looking completely unphased was out of the question, it was probably considered normal to look scared when it came to facing this man head-on. "Yes, you with the white hair and pretty little dog ears. You look like a _fighter._"

In a flash he ran right up to her, looking straight into her illusioned blue eyes. Neo backed her back up against the wall and kept an eye on that tail of his. She didn't know how lethal the venom might be, but she didn't want to test it and see for herself.

"The look in your eye, the pep to your step, and your small stature all tell me that you're used to seeing and spilling blood. Tell me, have you ever killed before?"

Many, many times. But she couldn't say that out loud even if she wanted too. Instead, she pulled down her collar and showed the man the scars on her neck. Implying that she wasn't able to talk anymore.

"Hm," Tyrian replied but _touching her neck_ with his filthy hands that were still wet with blood from some earlier kill. "I see, a nice pretty brand of the SDC. Just like our friend over there," He pointed to Adam over his shoulder, who scowled at him in response.

Neo hoped that he would stop there, but that was her first mistake. Hope.

"Only in his case, his scar is actually _real_."

She didn't know how she knew, but when Tyrian's sleeve burst open as wrist blades cut through the leather-like a hot knife through butter and tried to slash her throat open, the moment his blade made contact with her aura she shattered away like glass. Neo, the _real _Neo, ducked under his attack and flexibly kicked him directly in the throat. Purple aura flared but Tyrian didn't look all too injured by the blow. She flipped away and landed on her feet, no one tried to attack her, but she was revealed now. Pink and brown hair and all.

"Ah, I knew it!" Tyrian exclaimed as he threw off the rest of his coat and activated the other wrist blade. He didn't even seem phased by her kick. "There was something off about you from the start! It was the scent, you didn't smell of fear like the rest of these sheep were."

Adam landed beside him, hand on his hilt and clothes glowing red. "Kill her." He uttered out.

Neo instantly turned around and slashed at the people blocking her way. She cut a few of them and probably killed one but she didn't care. She had to run and get out of there. She didn't like her chances against just Adam and much less against that insane man fighting alongside him as well. She cut a large hole in the tent and forced herself through it, leaving an illusion of herself to cut cleaved in half by Adam's semblance as she broke into a sprint and ran as fast as she possibly could. She could hear one of them _tear _through it and chase right after her, and she didn't even turn her head around to check.

Caution and subtlety were thrown out the window the moment Tyrian shot the guns on his wrist blades. Neo ducked and covered her head and let her aura do the rest. Blocking and deflecting bullets that came in contact with her pink aura. Now everyone knew that they were there and there was a new time limit. Not just police, but huntsmen were certainly going to be on their way. Gunshots in the Vytal Festival was considered a felony and a serious crime since it was supposed to be a time of great positivity.

She wanted to use her semblance and escape right there and then but that took time and concentration. She needed a second to focus but she didn't get that second. Sprinting as fast as she was and running away from two of the most dangerous men she knew plus being forced to duck and weave around obstacles that were in her way forced her to just focus on running. At this point, her survival was more important than whatever information she could gather for Marcus to plan through, and she knew he would understand.

Her athleticism and flexibility was put to the test as she sprinted and squeezed through openings that'd usually be too small for any normal human to get through. Jumped and rolled over and under obstacles like fallen tables or stabilization posts along the ground. Yet each time she turned around _he was right behind her_. Tyrian's yellow eyes were now a neon-bright purple, and his aura was flaring erratically around his hands and making a sickening almost Grimm-like sound. She didn't want to know what that would do to her, and wasn't willing to wait and let him catch up.

Finally, they burst out into the public areas. With no time to think and no time to acknowledge the screaming and panicking useless civilians in her way, she barreled through them. Despite her small size, she was still stronger than most men and women and they couldn't even attempt to block her even if they wanted too. She kept running and sheathed her sword, it useless to keep it out if she didn't intend to use it anyway. Looking over her shoulder for a moment she widened her eyes with shock. Not only did Tyrian do the same thing she was doing, but he was also slashing and stabbing people along the way as well. Injecting people with his venom and slashing at those who got in his way while Adam glared death at her through the mask, uncaring for the innocent lives that were lost. Some spasmed from the venoms effects while others died immediately. Having no aura and no durability training left them hopeless and they died quickly. Neo forced herself to look away as she felt her heartbeat even harder as the fear started to settle in. She wasn't scared of anyone, or anything. But Tyrian… he scared her. She didn't want anything to do with him if she could help it. Roman teased her by saying she acted a little crazy sometimes when she had to kill people, but she never giggled madly out loud and go on a wild killing spree for fun like this guy was. He just didn't care. There was no remorse. No regret. Only fun and excitement.

"Tyrian!" Adam called out to the crazed lunatic as they chased after her. "This is pointless, we're just going to draw the attention of huntsmen this way!"

"A little too late for that, isn't it?" Tyrian shouted back as he continued chasing the mute. "Besides, this is one of the ones Cinder wants dead right? She said I get bonus points for cutting off her head! I don't want to miss that chance!"

Cinder sent him to kill her and Marcus!? No, she couldn't think about that though. All she needed to know was that Marcus needed to know about that when she got back to him, and thankfully, there was a clearing just ahead of her. Once she had some breathing room she could-

Neo gasped as she felt a hand grip her wrist and _yank _her back with strength she was not prepared for. If it weren't for her aura, her shoulder might have dislocated. She turned and was met with the fearsome maniacal grin that was Tyrian's smile. She felt his hand grip the aura on her wrist, and to her horror, his purple erratic aura somehow melted away her own aura.

His semblance was aura negation, her mind quickly figured out. She didn't let him cut off her hand and she twisted her body to the side and somehow managed to move her arm in such a way that Tyrian missed his mark and clipped himself on the hand. He didn't expect the movement that lead to her suddenly being on his back, and he was forced to let got when Neo stuck her umbrella between his hand and fingers and hit the button to open it. She then jumped off of her back and flipped over Adam's predicted horizontal slash that might have gotten anybody else, but she predicted him perfectly and kicked him in the back of his head and used him as a board to flip herself into the air a second time. Adam and Tyrian crashed into each other and fell to the ground. Both of them cursing at the other as their clothes and weapons got tangled with each other in a stroke of good luck for Neo.

"There they are!" A mans voice cut through the action. Neo only chanced a glanced and saw a brown haired huntsman with what looked to be an Atlesian uniform on, and he wasn't alone, he had about three others with him. A team of Specialists then, they can handle those two if he wanted too. She was going to get out of there while they drew the attention to themselves.

While Tyrian and Adam were wrestling on the ground, she started activating her semblance and heard the tell-tale sound of glass shattering all around her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling herself disappear into her semblance.

For the first time in a long time, she cried on in pain as a bullet pierced into her left calf and dug its way into her bone. Somehow piercing through her aura. She nearly lost her concentration and fell to the ground, but she forced herself to push through the pain and successfully managed to get into her homey little pocket dimension.

Adam held a gun that was smoking at the barrel, scowled when he watched his target disappear anyway, and holstered the weapon and helped his ally up.

"You have a gun?" Tyrian asked, understandably perplexed.

"A special kind, I'll explain later."

"Get them!" A female huntress screamed as yellow lighting coiled all around her.

"No, stop!" The same brown-haired man cried out.

"STAY!" A dark-skinned Specialist shouted. The woman with the speed semblance suddenly slowed down to a slug's crawl. Just as Adam's clothes and hair turned bright red as he activated his semblance. He didn't know what kind of damage an attack from his semblance at full power was going to do, but it was time to find out. Sadly enough, before he could let it out the speed huntress was tackled to the ground by a much larger woman. Tyrian ducked in front of him as well, and a massive arc of red and black energetic flames burst out in front of him. Cutting away people who were too stupid to get out of the way and destroying everything else in its path in a cone shape extending forward about thirty feet.

When Clover came back out of cover once the damage was done, Tyrian and Adam were already running away. He wanted to chase them, he really did. But there were injured and dead around, leaving them behind without his good luck semblance was a recipe for disaster. And Vine's arms were cut badly after he blocked a portion of Adam's attack with his own semblance. Marrow was shouting at Harriet and Elm was just exhausted and defeated as she looked around the bloody crime scene.

Clover sighed. If only they arrived just a minute sooner, they could have prevented all of this chaos.

"The council isn't going to like this…" And frankly, he didn't either.

* * *

Neo limped through Vale and winced with each step as she made her way back to her and Marcus' hideout. Some way somehow, the bullet managed to pierce through her aura and into her leg. She could still feel it there now, and she was losing blood fast. It must have been a hollow point bullet. She's been shot before and knew what it felt to get shot by each type of bullet. It was part of her training to be able to distinguish between each type.

She needed to get back to the hideout. He needed to know… She needed to keep Roman's promise. They were being hunted, and this time not by an assassin, but by someone she felt was a lot worse.

Whatever was going to happen next she felt it was coming soon, and fuck, her wound was throbbing like hell...

* * *

**Another Marcus-less chapter. It's needed unfortunately, he has to plan for what is to come and the rest of the cast are going to need their spotlights for now until the action settles in. Going the save the next scene for the next chapter, enough happened here and I don't need to make such huge chapters so often just yet. That's for the finale part once I get that started if you guys give me some positive input for the prompt I gave earlier in the first AN.**

**By the way, Clover and part of the Ace Ops showed up in that last part there. It happened really fast so I'll give a quick breakdown. Clover's semblance inadvertently saved Neo, Harriet was charging in as Adam charged his attack, Marrow used his semblance on her and Elm tackled her down before Adam struck and Vine tried to protect everyone with his semblance and got hurt because of it. Put that here just in case. I might have been able to do it better, but it is a really fast-paced scene and things were happening fast all over the place. Just like real life in some situations? Bah, that's just me being lazy. Sorry about that.  
**

**Let me know what you think in a review!**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	30. Chapter 30

**Here we go, let's get this done.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 30**

* * *

Clover looked around the crime scene that was the aftermath of the chaos that ensued just an hour or so ago. The people that were injured were already taken or lifted off to a hospital and those that were not so fortunate to have just sustained an injury were left behind for now as part of the crime scene. He already had Marrow and Vine place down different marks and outlines of each important mark and blood splatter, and it wasn't like it was a total mystery of _who _committed the crime since they all saw who did it. Adam Taurus, a well-known figure in Atlas for his crimes against the kingdom and the Schnee Dust Company. And after some research and getting back with Winter and Ironwood, Tyrian Callows. The latter was much less known than the former, known as a simple serial killer who trained in his own style specifically designed to kill huntsmen. As soon as his name came up, his profile went up to one of the most wanted men in the world. Already on par with Marcus and Adam themselves.

So they already knew _who _did it, they just wanted to know _why _and _what _caused this. There was a third party involved as well. Someone they know _nothing _about other than an alias. Neopolitan, or as she prefers to be called by, Neo. It was only for a few seconds, but there was no mistaking the pink and brown color palette that was burned into his mind after he looked over her profile and what pictures and recordings there were of her. Apparently, she worked closely with Roman Torchwick and acted as his muscle in some way or another. But now that Roman was dead, what else could she be doing? The immediate thought that came to mind was that she was now working with Marcus. But why?

The 'why' could be answered with that Livestream that Marcus broadcasted to the whole kingdom to incriminate Emerald Sustrai, and it worked very well landing the young girl in prison for the rest of her natural life in the tightest and darkest corner in the Atlesian mountains far to the North-east of the world. But no one bought it for a second that Marcus was seriously turning over a new leaf. Sure, he might be trying to stop Cinder and the White Fang as well, it was understandable. After hearing what he heard about the organization and how they killed his wife and forced him to kill his disillusioned son, that could break any man and make them do very strange things. But despite that, he wasn't considered an ally. At first, Clover was somewhat empathetic toward him, but after reading his profile and the entire list of crimes that were listed — and those were the ones that were actually _known_ — there was no potential alliance with the man.

All this chaos spilled blood, and innocent lives lost. What did it all lead up to? Was this just all for the power of one unconscious girl in Beacon's basement? It seemed pointless to him. With the might and intelligence of Atlas and Beacon on their side, Cinder couldn't hope to try and get close to her. Especially after she was now known for being the main mastermind behind everything happening in Vale. She lost the element of surprise. They not only knew that something was coming, but they _expected it_.

Another thought for another time. He was a Specialist for a reason, and not just because he was good at fighting people and killing Grimm. What made him a Specialist was his detective skills and his luck.

General Ironwood asked him to find out anything he could about the reason behind this sudden battle and chase and ordered him not to come back until he has something. It might have been a little over the top, but he understood the General's sternness. People died today. On a day that's supposed to be radiating happiness and positive feelings. It was already a nightmare keeping this from the hungry eyes of Lisa Lavender and the press, but they couldn't hide it from the people that actually witnessed it with their own eyes. They had to hold on hope that no idiots recorded what happened and posted it on some social media website. As depressing and cruel as it may seem, this just couldn't become public yet. The people of Vale and those attending the festival didn't need terrible news, especially the students.

The crime scene extended further than what was just visible in the wide cone-shaped burned area that was left behind from the attack from Adam's semblance. They tracked the carnage all the way back to one of the staff areas within one of the large tents. There they found three dead humans with their throats slashed and terrified faunus workers with binds on their arms, legs, gags, and masks over their heads. Clover tried to question them first, but apparently they were knocked out from the start and woke up as they were now. Terrified and scared, and they didn't know anything. That was a dead-end, so Clover tried to piece together how everything went down from there.

Where the dead humans and the hostages were are signs of a meeting of some kind. It had to be for members of the White Fang since Adam and Tyrian were there. So if Adam was hosting a meeting and possibly going over plans, what was Neo doing there? She clearly wasn't an ally if she was attacked like she was. He saw it himself, they were trying to kill her. So it was safe to assume that she wasn't there to make amends. Which meant that she was there to potentially spy on them and find out what their plans were.

If so, she didn't do a very good job at it since she got caught. Assuming that was the case, he saw the spot where one of the bodies of a terrorist lied. A deep slash wound across his chest, collarbone, and then neck. He must have bled to death, and assuming from the number of bloody boot prints that were going right over and past him, no one bothered to even try and help him. Next to the poor bastard was a very clear cut hole into the wall of the tent. The fabric and cloth that the tent was made out of were very tough. Tough enough that even some weaker caliber bullets couldn't penetrate through it. So the fact that it was able to be _cut _through implied someone using a sharp weapon and had the knowledge of how to use it.

He had stepped through that hole and then followed the path of light carnage that lied beyond. It wasn't all that bad. Some knocked over barrels here and cut cloth there, some obstacles that were in the way as well. But nothing that even a normal person wouldn't be able to get through. The path leads right to the public grounds and that was where things got messier. People were pushed and injured, and some of them were dead due to deep gashes into their chests, backs, or necks. He didn't know why they would waste time killing people to get to their target, but evidently one of them decided it was the right thing to do. Not Adam, he was smarter than that, and not Neo either. She was running _away _from them. To waste time murdering everyone that got in her way would have gotten herself killed and this would be a very different kind of investigation.

That left only Tyrian, and he thought himself stupid for even considering the other two as suspects. The rest that happened was what he saw with his own eyes. Tyrian caught up to Neo, she maneuvered her way around them and got away after making them fall over each other, they arrived, Adam shot Neo with something and then used his semblance at full strength. Marrow used his semblance on Harriet to save her life and Vine nearly got himself killed defending the bystanders with his aura projecting semblance.

And now here he was, Vine was injured, Harriet and Elm were sent elsewhere to make better use of their skills, and while Marrow was doing his best to help out, his personality was weak and held him back from being as helpful as he could be. He wasn't useless, but he was always regarded as the weakest of the Ace Ops for a good reason and not just because he was still the newest addition to the team.

"What do you think we can do with this?" Marrow asked as he walked up to his leader. "There's plenty that they left behind, but it's not like we can do much with it…"

"Yeah," Clover replied. "They all got away too, and there isn't anyone worthy of questioning. Lucky for them… too lucky." With a sigh, Clover pinched the bridge of his nose. Cursing his passive semblance of good fortune.

"Hey, you can't control who your semblance affects," Marrow said with a reassuring smile, somehow knowing exactly what went through Clover's head. "Either way, it saved lives. I've seen Adam's semblance cut through tanks before. The fact that it didn't just cut through Vine and kill all those people… Man, talk about _luck_." Clover chuckled when Marrow winked. Yes, a good luck semblance was useful but it was a wide area passive effect. It could save him from trouble but also save his enemy. He'd heard that there was a counterpart to his good luck semblance but he never did have a one on one with that man, Qrow, he remembered his name.

"Yeah, you're right," Clover said with a sigh as he looked around the crime scene once again. "Even with all the luck, I could ask for I really don't know what lead we can take from this. We know _something _is coming, but all we can do is prepare for a vast amount of possibilities. Taurus is a known quantity, as is Callows…"

"Well, what about Neo?" Marrow asked with a shrug. "She's as much a mystery as any to investigate and we've got a blood sample from her after she got shot. It's not much, but it's something. I doubt that Tyrian and Adam are going to show themselves again and I'm damn sure Cinder won't either. This could be the only thing we've got."

Clover thought about it for a few moments, only to then nod his head in agreement. "I agree, it won't be much, but at least we'll figure _something _out. We might be able to find a reference from her blood sample and find out what she is doing and why she is working with the likes of Marcus and them, but there's always a chance that her existence might not exactly be _official _in the general data and identification information system of Remnant." People who lived out in the outskirts for instance. They could never really be documented citizens of any kingdom if they were never discovered or made contact with anyone outside their village. Unfortunately, that made it easy to fake an identity and come out of nowhere. Anyone could just walk into a kingdom and make an account for themselves there under any name because most of the time there wasn't enough evidence to prove that they were wrong.

However…

"There might be _one _way to get some real information on her," Clover said with a growing smile. A light bulb flicked on in his head and the ideas began to flow. "The organization facility that we just raided, they had technology that rivaled and even went _beyond _what Atlas is capable of. We might be able to use their technology and vast databanks to find something our own devices would miss."

"Really? That stuff still works?" Marrow asked, shocked.

"A lot of it was set to self-destruct after the place was found out, but with some of our best engineers that we brought over from Atlas we managed to repair some of it." Technically, that was top secret information that shouldn't be said in public like this. The tech that Atlas 'confiscated' was a deal made with the council of Vale if it meant destroying the facility within their own kingdom. It would push Atlas even farther ahead than every other kingdom, but being an ally of Vale already it didn't mean much. It was a small price to pay in order to get rid of a third of Remnant's assassins. "I could bring that blood sample of hers up to the flagship and see what I can do with it. Actually, before I end up regretting this, bring up what we have on Adam and Callows as well and send it to my scroll as soon as you can."

"Yes, sir!" Marrow saluted him and went on to do as he was ordered.

Nodding, Clover typed a number into his scroll and called for a Bullhead. He'd need to get to the flagship as soon as possible and process this potentially vital information quickly.

* * *

The blood sample of Neo and the many notifications his scroll was ringing off started to burn a metaphorical hole in his pocket as Clover raced up to the flagship in one of the fastest Bullheads that Atlas had to offer. After being forced to follow protocol and go through the motions that all Atlesian personnel had to go through in order to board the flagship, Clover speed-walked his way to where he knew all of the captured organizations' techs were being kept. Or hidden. He didn't care.

Ironwood's flagship was like one massive maze. One wrong turn and you'd end up going in the opposite direction that you intended to go. Thankfully for as advanced and intelligent that Atlas was, they kept the design of the ship simple. The soldiers and pilots had their own deck with all the necessities required so they wouldn't complain about anything, below that were storage and Bullhead landing pads and launch offs. Above the soldier's decks was the main piloting deck that actually controlled what the ship was doing and what cannons were fired and what was _being _fired along with the many control systems that helped steer the ship, the speed, etc. But on that same level was where the huntsmen and Specialists were kept. Where Ironwood himself would be around most of the time if he wasn't already helping with the control of the ship itself and giving out orders. There was a deck above even that which could be considered an 'Attic' of the ship so to speak.

That was where Clover was going, but in order to get there, he needed to get through the prisoner holding cells. For obvious reasons that were kept far away from the controls of the ship itself, and it would have been where they kept Roman Torchwick if he hadn't been killed in the ambush they had set up. High priority targets and prisoners were kept here. Right now, it was mostly empty. They'd caught a few of the assassins from the organization and were being held here for interrogation. And the 'Maids' that they had been using to fulfill their desires were sent to the best mental hospitals in the world. Well, the ones who didn't kill themselves, anyway.

Clover refrained from the urge to kick at one of the cells to wake them all up and rob them of their sleep. He wasn't going to waste his energy, they were already being interrogated by the use of 'advanced methods' so they were already facing the punishment that they deserved to go through.

After getting through there he nodded to some of the pilots and tired Specialists as he made his way through the upper deck. They were all working themselves to exhaustion just keeping the flagship where it was. Controlling such massive ships was a lot harder than it seemed, and it took a lot of teamwork and effort just to keep it hovering in one spot. Constant checks, constant adjustment against the wind, constant dust usage. He would have helped if he could, but he had a mission to take care of first. He entered the Specialist's deck and went deeper into one of the hallways. The very one where the private quarters of Ironwood himself stayed. After asking for special permission from James himself, Clover checked behind him and in front of him and double-checked to make sure no one was seeing him, then flashed his scroll in front of one of the lights keeping the hallway lit.

A hidden door opened with a hiss, and rows and rows of engineers and scientists all turned their heads to meet his. With a nod, Clover let himself in and shut the door behind him. They all recognized him, so they let him be and went back to what they were doing, which was trying to figure out how to replicate the technology that the secret organization was capable of producing. He ignored all of the crazy things they were trying to invent and made his way through the secret deck. He's only been there a few times, and he was the only one of the Ace Ops that actually knew that a place like this existed on the ship itself.

No one questioned why he was there, they knew he was there for something and didn't get in his way. He wasn't a regular visitor by any means, but he was a known quality among the Atlesian men. He was let through into the area that he wanted to get into and he finally found the place that he was looking for. It was similar to what one could find in a laboratory for experiments with blood and DNA and gene splicing. Except this was someone better. The original tech was destroyed in the raid, but there was enough left behind that they were able to rebuild it and get it operational again. Along with the large computer box as well.

Clover sat down in the cushioned seat and got to work. Neo's blood sample was kept in a corked bottle. How they were able to get it off of the ground before it dried up was beyond him, but there was enough in there to run a few tests and that was all he needed to find someone. He wasn't a scientist and didn't know exactly how to operate the machine and computer, but someone was kind enough to write down a simple manual for someone like him to try and understand what he was doing. He went through the steps from beginning to end. Turned on the machine and computer first, and typed in the login and password three times for it to actually enter its own system. He moved the mouse and clicked on a program labeled simply _PEOPLE_ and opened it. At first, it was just a blank black box, but that just played into step 2 easily.

A small circular opening opened up for him in the machine, and with prayer and hoping that his good luck semblance kicked in, he poured all of Neo's blood into the machine. The machine whirled to life and immediately went to work. Almost immediately, Clover watched as that black empty box on the screen started filling with code of white text and numbers and then for a picture of Neo to pop up.

"Already?" Clover said as he read through the girl's information. It was all rather simple and somewhat mysterious. Some of it he already knew and others, he didn't. "No… there _has _to be more." Clover scrolled down and something instantly popped out at him. In the tabs that showed the girl's name, appearance, aura levels, and semblance was the term _affiliation_. And it read as such.

_Affiliation: Former Master ranked, fulfilled rite. Last known appearance [REDACTED] Black [REDACTED] Working with To[REDACTED] CODE: BUTTERFLY-V:-_

Clover stopped reading what he couldn't understand and growled in his frustration. Another dead end. He almost gave up but he couldn't stop there. There had to be something more than this amazing tech could do and pull off. There was just no way the data could be this damaged after everything that hyped them up until the raid. With a determined expression on his face, Clover went on to typing and trying to find something with the mouse. His good luck semblance has gotten him out of bad situations, helped in finding lost people, and saved lives. It had to be able to help him here as well.

Hours went by and he lost track of time. He constantly read through Neo's profile from beginning to end, played around with the machine and typed away at the keyboard with what limited computer skills he had. Until something happened, the black screen went blank again and his heart dropped. Only for it to soar as an entirely different profile was pulled up. He had to thank his luck for that because honestly, he couldn't thank his own skills for getting him this far.

_You were right Marrow… _Clover thought with a victorious smirk that turned serious once a picture of the same girl from before popped up on the screen that showed her in a much different light. Instead of the mismatched brown and pink hair, it was all brown, and her eye color was actually naturally a greyish-white. He would have thought she was blind if it wasn't for the clear black pupil in the middle. She looked bruised, dirty, and her expression was a far cry from the teasing smirk that she always seemed to wear whenever she appeared. Below it came to a completely different profile, and none of it was redacted in any way. This was what he was looking for.

_First Name: Nea _

_Last Name: Poli_

_History: Nea Poli was a girl who lived on the outskirts of Vale who snuck her way into the kingdom some years before the events of Mount Glenn. She suffered from a condition that dwarfed her growth and never grew past the height of four feet, seven inches. With the condition brought an unusual youthful body that was reinforced by aura. Often confused to be much younger than she really is, Nea was a talkative girl and good with her words, manipulative, deceptive, and lived quite a good life on the streets. She often stole from stores and was self-trained. Exceptionally skilled in parkour and was unnaturally flexible. History before this point is unknown, but it is likely that her village was attacked by Grimm, for no other traces of family members were found aside from two men and one woman who lives in Vacuo. Considered for recruitment after successfully defeating and killing an assassin sent to kill a different target with a steel pipe sharpened to a point and edge. After some investigation and a retrieval contract done by a member of the Black family, it was found out that she possessed a very powerful illusionary semblance. _

_Trained by: Scarlet (Alias). In edged weapon combat. Her method was unorthodox and required extreme athleticism, flexibility and unusual use of an umbrella(Parasol?). Heavily mentally straining, and Nea Poli required breaking. Underwent Maid treatment, came out obedient, yet sharp. At the end of her training, Nea lost her ability to speak due to a traumatic mental disability development and in her anger, killed her own trainer. I remained as part of the organization for several years until the events of Mountain Glenn. Exercised her rite after becoming a Master Ranked assassin and successfully retired from the organization, picking up a new and different name after re-entering Vale's society._

_New Name: Neopolitan _

_Last Name: Unknown_

_New Affiliation: Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall_

Beneath that was a picture of Neo as she was now. Smirking, strong, and with pink hair on one side and different colored eyes.

_Possible Second Recruitment: Low_

_New Affiliation(Updated January this year): Marcus Black, ex-master assassin and deemed contractable to death._

Clover cursed as he read through the second part of the profile. It went on into many ways to get Neo back into their organization by force. The kidnapping of Torchwick before he died, the murder of Torchwick to rob her of what she had left to live, and even marked down exact dates of key events of Neo's life and everything that they could use against her from that list. When Neo first lost her voice, they declared this _Scarlet _trainer expendable and let her die from her hands, used her as a stealth weapon after that after they had an iota of her loyalty. It went further in-depth on how they could use Torchwick against her, and how they never really gave up on having on as one of their assassins.

Reading further into the profile revealed all of the contracts that she has carried out in the past. Contracts against normal everyday people contract against police officers and those in low governmental positions, and then it escalated from there dramatically. She was a stealth killer of assassins, and there was even a suspected mental illness list of what fucked her up in the head. She killed easily and with no remorse, whereas before, she was just another homeless girl just trying to survive and was just a little _too _good at it. Her hottest ever contract was on one of the council members of Vale who was rumored to be the one who made the official call to collapse the tunnels to Mountain Glenn, and the one who hired her was… Of course, it had to be Torchwick.

From there, she was basically a ghost. Only appearing where she was needed, and always under the disguise of her semblance's illusions. She only ever started popping up again two decades later which was around the time Cinder and Marcus came into town. That meant that Neo was actually in her late thirties or at least in her forties. It was crazy to think that a woman like her existed, but then again, a semblance that steals other semblances existed. Nothing was impossible these days.

Clover leaned back in his seat and ran a hand down his tired face, this new find was important for them to know, but it all felt a little too invasive to him. He tried to not look at the photos that were more revealing than others, and felt sick to his stomach after watching some of the videos of Neo 'training' and being 'treated'. Really, it was a wonder how the girl didn't go insane. His guess was that she quickly got close to Roman, who must have known about the organization from Marcus before he left Vale and Beacon, and picked her up from there. Be it out of pity or by some other ulterior motive, Neo chose him over the powerful organization.

And this _rite_ that it went into… Brothers, he had no idea what to make of it. If Neo, or Nea Poli as her true name stands, had been found before this all happened to her he was sure that she could have become something much better. She'd have made a great huntress.

Clover sighed and clicked away from the profile, then proceeded to delete it all after making a backup of one copy and sending it straight to Ironwood. He trusted him not to abuse the information. James was a General with a lot on his hands, but he wasn't cruel.

With a yawn, Clover went to work on another person. With this technology, he felt like he could find anyone if he really wanted to. After the many hours of tinkering with the computer, he had a very vague sense of how to navigate its programs. Enough so that he didn't have to rely on the blood recognition machine at least.

If there was anyone Ironwood wanted to know more about, it was Cinder Fall. Adam was already known for being a high ranking officer in the White Fang. Tyrian was known for being a hunter-killer and maniac. Marcus was known for being a huntsman trained assassin with a semblance stealing semblance and for everything he has done so far. But Cinder Fall, there was nothing on her. No records save for the fake ones that Lionheart got busted for. She was a ghost.

"Let's fix that…" Clover whispered to himself as he went to work on the computer. One way or another, he'd find _something_. This organization seemed to know everybody and had a knack for invading someone's personal life. With this woman, he would have no quarrels seeing every little thing that ticked her off or pleased her and used that against her.

Some people just didn't deserve mercy or the pleasure of privacy.

* * *

Neo whined as she lied face down in the bed. Whimpering each time Marcus moved around a pair of stolen medical tweezers in her leg.

"Stay still," Marcus groaned as he held down her shaking leg. "Didn't you go through the same training I did? You should be numb to pain."

Neo kicked him in the face with her other foot.

"Stay still!" Marcus used his strength and forced down her other leg and waited for her to stop fighting, then sighed. Some people just didn't take the sensation of pain well. Or perhaps she didn't go through the _same _kind of training he did back then when he was a rising star in the organization. Either way, he needed to get this bullet out of Neo's leg. It's been hours since she got shot and he already felt bad for sending her out there and felt responsible for her injury. It didn't matter how important the information was, Neo's life was more important.

A dark chuckle escaped from his mouth at the thought of that. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't have cared about Neo at all. Now, he was feeling bad for her and attempting to pull a bullet out of her leg. Albeit haphazardly.

Hey, he's never gotten a bullet stuck in his body before. Usually, it went all the way through. With how powerful weapons are nowadays, it was really a rarity for bullets to get stuck in bodies. It didn't mean that it didn't happen, it was just rare. This was his first time trying to pull out a bullet and he went through the steps he made up in his head. He cut off Neo's pants from that knee down and disinfected it already. Now just came the hard part of actually taking the bullet out of her leg.

It looks like it got stuck in her leg right up against the bone. Marcus felt around with the tweezers, much to Neo's displeasure, and made a mental note of where it was. He made a small metal bucket to throw it in once he got it out, and Neo had a pillow to bite into to prevent herself from screaming and making a lot of noise. He often wondered if Neo could even make a sound, now he was wishing for her to shut the fuck up so he could concentrate.

"I got it!" Marcus exclaimed when he felt his tweezers pinch down on its target.

"_NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" _Was Neo's reply.

Marcus motioned the bullet out of Neo's wound until he was able to see it. On a mental count to three, he decided it was best for him to get it over with and _yanked it out_ of Neo's calf. Neo's scream was muffled by the pillow she was forcing her face deeper into, and there was blood everywhere. And it wasn't stopping.

"Shit," Marcus cursed as he grabbed a bandage and squeezed it against Neo's leg. But still, it wasn't stopping, and quickly Neo was getting more and more pale. The adrenaline must have finally faded, and she was losing consciousness. "Shit!" He squeezed as hard as he could on the wound and knew that it was going to bruise as a result. Neo couldn't lose too much blood, and there was no hope of getting her a transfusion and not landing her right in prison as soon as she recovered.

There was only one thing he could do. He couldn't stop the bleeding without hurting Neo too much, and the wound wasn't going to heal quickly even with Neo's aura being active. If it even _could _be active while she was knocked out.

Marcus calmed himself down and made his decision. He took in a deep breath and pressed a hand tight against Neo's injury. White aura flashed and flickered, then Neo's aura flashed and flickered. He let go of her wound and it was still there, but now it was healing and wasn't bleeding nearly as much. Neo snapped awake a few seconds later, her skin now much more the usual color as she flipped herself onto her back and looked around the room until she saw him.

After looking at him, she went down to her injury and looked at it. Amazingly. Impossibly. it was healing and the bleeding slowed down dramatically. With no further prompt, Marcus tied the bandage taught against her leg and nodded his head.

Neo nodded back knowingly and then spread her arms out to her sides expectantly.

"No," As much as Neo pouted, Marcus was never the hugging type of person. That didn't stop Neo from trying anyway, but she was too tired to get out of her bed and get closer to him. She ended up giving up and lying back down in bed with a pouty expression on her face.

Marcus ignored her and went to go pick up the bullet that he'd just yanked out of her leg. It was impossible to ignore a bullet piercing through aura somehow. He had to investigate and see what it was.

His hand reached down into the bucket and he grabbed the silver-ish bullet that was drenched in red blood. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the caliber and design. This wasn't any normal type of bullet, nor was it made out of any usual metal. This bullet was made out of Etricium. A very rare and hard metal that was used in most huntsmen weapons and was banned to be manufactured as bullets for fear of their abuse in killing huntsmen. There were some areas on the body where aura was strong, and where aura was weak. On the back of the legs, for instance. It would be a good spot to shoot one of these rounds.

And whoever shot it had some accuracy. They managed to hit one of the arteries and nearly killed Neo. It wasn't from any normal White Fang member, so if he had to guess, it would have come from Adam. He felt like that man was the only one who would be able to hurt Neo out of their entire stupid terrorist organization.

He wiped away some of the blood and made the metal more clear. A shine of blue caught his eye. In a panic, Marcus ran over to the sink and washed off the rest of the bullet. Really hoping that what he was suspecting wasn't true.

Sadly, it was. The Etricium bullet wasn't just any usual bullet. It was a tracking bullet. Designed to lodge itself into its target and stay in there. It was why it was so hard to pull out.

"Shit!" Marcus dropped the bullet on the ground and smashed his foot against it. Crushing it with his metal leg. "The damn bullet was a tracker," He explained quickly once he saw Neo looking at him with a weird expression on her face. Which quickly transformed into an expression of panic as she tried to launch herself up to her feet. Only to stumble and almost fall.

Marcus caught her and helped her stabilize on her feet. "Don't move too much, we can't fix nor afford to reopen that wound." He said as he lifted her up with one arm and let her hang on his shoulder. "It will heal soon. Just hang on and let's get out of here."

Neo flicked her chin in the direction of the table where he kept all of his plans written down.

"I can remember them," Marcus said as he took his pistol out with one hand and then loaded in an explosive fire dust round. Without hesitation, he shot it toward the table and it exploded and caught alight. With that dealt with, Marcus carried Neo out of the room and ran out into the Valean early morning. They had to relocate as soon as possible, and it had to be now. It's already been hours since Neo came back to him and he treated her. More than enough time for that tracking bullet to remain active.

Two figures were waiting for him as soon as he entered the alleyway, his eyes narrowed and he leaned back on one leg, preparing himself to run the other way as soon as he could.

"About time you figured it out," A deep voice coming out of a young man's face called out to him. "We were tired of waiting for you," Marcus remembered the man from months ago, the one who leads the Vale branch of the White Fang.

"Hehehe," The other man, shrouded in shadows, giggled. "It's about time we finally meet face to face again, Marcus."

Marcus stopped and turned back around, eyes wide with shock, anger, and contempt. The men didn't even try to chase him, they knew he would stop once he recognized the voice. It was one he hadn't heard in years. But it was the same voice he heard from _that day_…

His black eyes met vibrant purple. His teeth gritted in anger. Neo spotted his change in demeanor at that too, it wasn't typical for Marcus, at least not in the way he was showing it now, normally his anger was seething and cold, but this, this was boiling, not quite exploding just yet, but maybe soon.

"Tyrian," Marcus growled. As he took his gun back out and shot once, Tyrian bent his back in a very creepy way, all while cackling as he avoided his bullets. The air had become tense, a fight had already broken out. Marcus wasn't that stupid, he wasn't going to fight with Neo on his arms, the shots he fired were the only one he'd fire.

Adam had his hand on Wilt and was ready to rush in as well. Someone likely already heard the shot and was calling for help or something, all the while aiming at Tyrian Marcus lowered Neo slowly, she limped slightly and stared back at Adam as she righted herself. Slowly both Adam and Tyrian began to approach them.

Adam bristled as they walked forward. "You know him?"

"Not important!" Tyrian threw off his jacket and started _sprinting _toward Marcus. "Killing first!"

Marcus didn't run. He tapped Neo on the back with his elbow, the signal was simple, to get out of the way, he trusted her to get out of there herself. This one, he had to kill himself. It didn't matter if Adam was there to help him. He had to _eliminate _another nightmare of his past before it could torture him any longer.

"_It's not your fault," _Summer's dying voice echoed within his mind a second time. "_I-I should have kept my guard up… I-I'm sorry."_

Marcus roared in anger and pulled out his knife, ready to square off against Tyrian had on. Neo, as she was limping away saw Adam speed up to catch up to them, one way or the other, running or not, she would have to face him, if only to distract them for a few precious seconds.

Fighting against the pain, Neo grabbed her weapon and turned around. She had a promise to keep, and she wasn't going to let him down.

* * *

**And ain't that a set up for next chapter. Hmph. I'm sure you guys are going to like this little twist. Let's see how far this goes!**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**T w i tter. Com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	31. Chapter 31

**Here we go again, this one is going to be a pretty long one. Some things are revealed and emotions are running wild. How will our struggling assassin manage? Let's find out!**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 31**

* * *

Marcus wasted no time in wrapping his arms around each of Tyrians after deflecting one of the wrist blades with his gun and bouncing the other off with his hardened aura. Tyrian yelped as he was pulled in until he was practically chest to chest with the assassin and stared wildly into his dark eyes. He laughed and pushed against him, but to his surprise, he was pushed back with some struggle but nearly effortlessly. Marcus used him as a shield and pushed his forehead into Tyrian's nose uncomfortable and _ran _despite the scorpion faunus struggling and trying to free himself.

Adam held his ground and prepared to use his semblance to slice them both in half anyway, but just as he began to charge up the power a small foot kicked up into his chin and stunned him. Neo appeared out of her semblance, already taking deep effortful breaths but more than willing to fight, and knocked him out of the way of Tyrian and Marcus. The assassin pushed the scorpion faunus into a car with a surprising amount of strength. Folding the car inward somewhat and pushing Tyrian further in. Even though Tyrian had to be in some kind of pain, he was able to handle it easily and literally laugh in Marcus' face as he did so.

"Hah, you've gotten _much stronger_," Tyrian remarked as his tail slipped out from between his legs. Marcus spotted the stinger rise over his shoulder and he let go of Tyrian's left arm in order to catch it. The tail was stronger than he expected and nearly stabbed into his eye before he managed to stop its assault. Doing that left him open, and Tyrian punished him by pushing the gun barrel part of his wrist blade into Marcus' face. Not willing to taste gunpowder and metal shrapnel, Marcus leaned back and deflected the trajectory of the stinger, falling to the ground as he did so but preventing himself from getting injected with venom and shot at the same time.

He's seen what that venom could do if it got into his body, he was dead. Marcus got back up to his feet in less than a second and held his knife in a reverse grip in order to give himself better strength in his strikes and more compatibility against Tyrian's wildly aggressive fighting style. He aimed his gun over that wrist and pulled the trigger three times. One of those bullets grazed Tyrian and the other two were dodged and deflected respectively. Marcus grit his teeth and jumped back and over a car and into the street. Passing bystanders were already screaming and passing cars swerved to the curb and crashed into one of the buildings in panic.

A flash of red came and the car he'd leaped over was completely destroyed and reduced to nothing but shrapnel. Neo flipped through the ensuing dust cloud and landed next to him. Marcus chanced a glance at her and cursed, she was still tired and exhausted after her most recent mission and this happened too soon, she wasn't going to be fighting at her best and these were two very dangerous opponents for her to be up against even on a good day. He'd have to carry her weight, but it wasn't like he didn't have his hands full already. This was going to be a hard fight, but slightly easier since they were in public.

The next second his eyes flicked back to the dissipating cloud of dust and Adam and Tyrian burst through it. The masked man aiming for Neo and Tyrian very obviously coming after him. Neo widened her eyes as Marcus grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and _threw _her back into the other side of the street and to the sidewalk.

"Go!" Marcus screamed as Adam and Tyrian both converged on him, Tyrian going high and Adam low. "I've got this!"

Marcus was a good fighter. A better assassin, but good enough to best Cinder in single combat when she isn't using her maiden powers. But he was far from unbeatable. Just better than most. Neo struggled to get back up to her feet, and they both knew that with a simple use of her semblance right now could get her out of there right now, but that would go against the promise she made to Roman. He made her promise to work with Marcus for as long as he needed her, and right now, he needed her more than he probably would ever need her. She _didn't know_ if he could win against the likes of Adam and Tyrian at the same time, and that was enough for her to refuse his order and slip out the thin blade she kept inside of her parasol. Then slipped back into the illusion that was her semblance.

Adam slashed at Marcus' heel, in which his dust infused red blade bounced off the aura and vibrated in his hands as he slid the blade back into his sheathe. Tyrian clashed violently into Marcus prepared upper body, creating a shockwave of strength that shattered the windows of cars and cracked windows of buildings around them. Upon noticing this, Tyrian smirked as Marcus pushed him back into the air. The faunus flipped and landed gently on his feet while Adam took the lead this time. Marcus' knife in comparison to his sword was much smaller and had a major disadvantage in reach. But what he didn't know was that it was _dense_. This particular knife that Marcus was using was handcrafted himself to be dense, which naturally made it heavier around ten pounds level of weight, but given the time and exercise he already had, he easily got used to it. So when Marcus used that knife to block and redirect Adam's prodding strike, the White Fang officer was mildly shocked for a second before he was punched in the face.

Marcus went low while Adam was stunned and swept his legs out from under him. When the bull faunus landed on his back he instinctively rolled to the side and used that momentum to get himself back onto his feet. To his surprise and anger, Tyrian shoved him out of the way with his tail but he quickly realized that it was for a reason when Neo's thin blade entered the space where his neck had once been. Tyrian went to attack the short and diminutive girl but Neo was faster than him, slipping back into an illusion and disappearing from sight. With the knowledge of her still being in this fight fresh in his mind, he used his sword to block some of the powerful dust rounds that Marcus had fired at him. He was surprised by the force of each bullet, each pushing him back as he blocked it and absorbed the kinetic force into his semblance, making his hair and red accents of his clothes glow as he did so. The caliber of those bullets felt similar to those used in some sniper rifles. He wondered how Marcus' wrist wasn't broken from using the gun with just one hand.

The gun proved to be very durable as well, and it showed when Marcus raised it up to block Tyrian's next strike and then used it as a blunt instrument to deflect the other attacks that followed. Each deflects was followed by a loud metallic clink that rang out through the streets of Vale. It was a piercing sound that made his ears hurt, and evidently Tyrian wasn't all that bothered by it. He continued clashing against it with all his strength.

Marcus grit his teeth as he met each of Tyrians strike with one of his own, negating the force but at the cost at sending harsh vibrations up and down his arm that shook him down to his bones. Tyrian didn't stop even when the same effect was happening to him. Over, and over again, Marcus clashed his gun against one of Tyrian's blades. It was less of a fight and more of a contest of whose bones and muscles would give first. There was little skill involved in simply slamming each others weapons against each other. And Marcus quickly figured out what Tyrian intended after the fourth strike.

Tyrian was used to pain, relished in it. He was a Masochist and a Sadist. He enjoyed the sensation of pain and enjoyed causing it in others. It was part of his psychotic insanity that was he was known for as a serial killer of both normal people and huntsmen. Marcus was an assassin who was greatly skilled and most likely in a straight battle he would win, but in a contest like this, Tyrian had the advantage.

Marcus allowed him to think he was stuck in that contest until the last second of the next strike. He could have let it hit and then just push through it to try and grab Tyrian and steal whatever his semblance was, but while Neo was going against his orders he might as well use her. He smiled when he saw a flicker of light from beside Tyrian and growled as he put even more strength into the next clash as Neo attacked the faunus from the side. For once, there wasn't a smile on Tyrian's face as Neo's thin blade made to try and pierce through his aura and into his ribcage and lungs. But Adam was there to save him before Marcus could land a full-strength attack on the top of his skull.

Another flash of red and Marcus crossed his arms and let the black and red energy disperse against his aura and around his body while Neo ducked behind him. Thankfully it wasn't a charged attack, and before Adam could slip his sword back into his sheath, Marcus charged forward, making the faunus groan and prepare his next attack when his sword was only half-sheathed.

Marcus knew his style from a certain raven. His old sparring partner always used to sheathe her sword between each attack for the most power behind her strikes. Adam was much the same, although he seemed capable of fighting normally but was evidently more comfortable with his own style than anything else. The key to defeating him was to attack while he wasn't fully prepared or when he was in the process of sheathing his sword between attacks. It was how he was able to beat Raven plenty of times back in the day, and he could use that again here.

Adam sloppily parried his knife but the length of his sword soon worked against him as Marcus got through his guard and up close and personal. He had him right where he wanted him, and he made to grab him and steal that powerful semblance of his but stopped when he felt a bad feeling in the back of his mind. His instincts screamed for him to duck and he trusted them. Being rewarded as Tyrian's stinger barely grazed his aura. Some venom leaked out of the stinger and landed on the back of Marcus' neck, but it simply flowed down over his skin and didn't cause any harm except for a minor stinging feeling that would go away with his sweat.

His aura would prevent it from actually getting into his body, but Marcus didn't want to take any chances. He jumped away and back from Tyrian and Adam and wiped it off the back of his neck and flicked that hand to the floor and ripped off his glove just to be safe. It would make him a little less comfortable when using his knife, but it was a minor sacrifice in order to not suffer that terrible fate.

More bystanders screamed as he and Neo proceeded to dodge and take cover from a hail fire of bullets from both of Adam and Tyrian's guns respectively. They obviously didn't care for subtlety, and honestly, Marcus and Neo didn't either. It was only a matter of time when this caught the attention of the police, and then Ironwood and Ozpin, and not for the first time, Marcus was counting on that.

"We just have to hold out, not win," Marcus said out loud for Neo's benefit, she looked like she was going to pass out any second. "But someone is going to die today," He added as he reloaded his pistol. "And it's going to be _him_. I swear it." At that point, he was talking to himself. Neo noticed but didn't comment, couldn't when they were in the middle of a fight.

What she could do was slap Marcus on the shoulder, her only way of telling him that now was not the time for a mental breakdown. Marcus simply scowled at her in return but nodded his head.

He peeked over the cover that was someone's car and fired back while Neo slipped back into her semblance, waiting for her chance to strike a fatal blow.

* * *

"Ozpin!" Ironwood shouted the moment the elevator doors opened.

"I know," Ozpin replied immediately as he held a scroll against his ear. "I have a council member on the scroll right now and I am getting permission for your Ace Squad to enter active combat duty within the city itself. Gather them, and go _now! _Take Taiyang, Glynda and every fully trained huntsman you can. I want _someone _captured for this."

"I will," Ironwood saluted his fellow headmaster and made to follow his orders.

Qrow, who went ignored that entire time, sighed loudly. "Damn it…"

"You are still in recovery Qrow, you and Winter Schnee. Sending you in would bring the possibility of your death and we can't have that right now." Ozpin explained as he stood up and hung up the scroll.

"I know, but that doesn't make it any less annoying." Qrow sneered as he took another big swig of alcohol from his flask. "Why are they fighting in broad daylight like this? It's bright and early in the morning rush hour, this doesn't make sense. Marcus should be smarter than this."

"From the panicked call, I just received from Councilmember Snow it is known that Tyrian Callows is to thank for this," Ozpin revealed.

Qrow cursed under his breath. "Damn it…" His fists clenched and he never before itched more to grab weapon Harbinger and fight.

"Don't worry," Ozpin said as he grabbed his cane and started walking toward one of the open windows. The wind was flowing in and displacing Ozpin's white hair as the headmaster stood in front of it and placed one foot on the windowsill. Green magical aura flowed around him as he prepared to leap from it. "I will handle this myself."

Qrow snorted and nodded his head. "About time you got off your ass and did something for once." He remarked.

"Yes," Ozpin took his glasses off and dropped them. There was no need for them now. "It is."

* * *

_Summer Rose walked beside him, happily chatting away with him like he never left and getting to know everything he's been doing aside from being a ruthless, merciless assassin. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy. _

This wasn't the time for a flashback, but Marcus couldn't help it. As he and Tyrian fought all over Vale while Neo winked in a distracted Adam to give him an easier time, he couldn't help but think about it, and let it guide him in his anger and rage… and grief.

"_How old is Mercury?" Summer asked him, looking up at him from the side with a beaming smile on her face which matched the beauty of her silver eyes. _

_Marcus shrugged his shoulders and took a guess. "Four or five, one of those." He replied._

"_You don't know when your own son was born?" Summer scolded him, somehow, she was the only one who was able to actually make him feel bad about something. "Agh, forget it. I'll figure it out, when was he born?"_

_That, he remembered. _

Marcus roared as he threw his next attack like a punch, the knife held in the reverse grip cut through the air like nothing was there and Tyrian dodged it by bending over backward. He tried to cut Marcus' heel, but his weapon clanged against metal as it cut through his pants. Marcus smirked and kicked the insane man with his metal legs, and transformed his style into a mirage of kick-based attacks. Throwing off Tyrian for a moment as his scorpion faunus eyesight gave him the disadvantage in reacting to these new body-oriented strikes. Behind them, Neo and Adam went at it.

"_Hm. January 5th," Marcus said in a groan. _

"_Oh, so he's five then." Summer said with a chuckle. "See? You were right even when you thought you were wrong. Oh, how old are my daughters? I'm so glad you asked!"_

"_I… didn't…" After seeing Summer's warning glare, Marcus sighed and complied. "How old are your daughters?"_

"_Ruby is two and Yang is three, though Yang's birthday is coming up soon. They're almost the same age as Mercury!" Summer pointed out in a giggle. "How did you get a kid before I did?"_

_That was a touchy subject, Summer quickly realized when Marcus suddenly stopped walking. His eyes were shut tight and he grits his teeth and shook his head. He looked furious for a moment, but he managed to regain control of himself._

"_It wasn't planned but… I met a woman." Marcus finally said after about a minute. "Her name is… was… Olivia."_

Neo fell backward and in her slight panic sloppily parried what would have been a fatal blow by Adam. Marcus cursed and kicked Tyrian in the stomach and launched him away and sprinted toward the bull faunus. Adam noticed him from the corner of his eye and turned to face him, charging up his semblance in a hue of black, white, and red. Marcus met it head-on, but instead of blocking it when Adam slashed at him the arc of red and black split into two.

Marcus jumped and twisted his body in the air uncomfortably but in such a way that Adam's attack didn't make direct contact with his body. He landed on his hands and knees but used that position to propel himself toward Adam as his arm was still outstretched. Shocked that Marcus somehow dodged it, Adam wasn't able to react in time as Marcus shot him in the face. The bullet making his head snap back with the force and breaking his mask. His aura saved him, but his one light blue eye stared angrily at Marcus as a trickle of blood flowed down his face and over the hideous brand given to him by the SDC for his rebellious nature. Marcus ignored the reveal and shot Adam one more time in the shoulder before tackling him down to the ground.

"_Was…? Oh Marcus," Summer wrapped her arms around his waist before he even realized it. " I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you remember that pain."_

"_It's… fine." Marcus replied as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, as close as he came to hugging her back that entire night. "It happened quickly, or so I'm told. It's a long story, but I met her and we were instantly compatible. We got married in just a few weeks and before we knew it she was pregnant. Heh…" His eyes darkened with sadness. "We were young, desperate idiots, but we made it work somehow."_

"_What happened?"_

"_Hm… You don't need to know the details. She died, and that's that."_

"_Okay… I won't force you to talk about it." Summer surrendered, though it was clear that she was hurt by his closed-off nature. She would deal with it though, Marcus knew. She was a strong woman. "So, how far are we now?"_

"_Not that far off, maybe another twenty minutes of hiking and we'd get there. I made sure to put it in an isolated area, fewer people mean less negative emotions. Grimm is scarce around these parts."_

"_Yeah, I can see that…"_

Adam cried out as his aura failed to prevent the tip of Marcus' knife from stabbing into his thigh. It wasn't able to go any deeper then beneath the skin and into muscle because of his aura rejecting the foreign object, but that didn't stop Marcus from at least trying to get deep enough to cut a vein or artery. Adam didn't let him go a millimeter deeper as he stabbed his sword down into Marcus' back, the assassin twisted out of the way and scooped up Neo in his arms and some distance away before Tyrian could catch up with them and take advantage while his back was turned, he couldn't lose Neo, she was the only part of Roman left and she has become a good friend to him. He couldn't handle any more loss.

Which was why he protected Neo and grit his teeth and bore Tyrians bullets as it pelted against his back. It didn't stop him from running, but when he was shot in the back of his robotic knee he cried out and staggered forward. He threw Neo and as he expected she landed on her feet and stopped him from falling himself before spinning him around with her hands and pushing him forward to negate and push back a Tyrian moving so fast it was like he had a speed semblance, but there was something in his eyes that had Marcus worrying as his hand grabbed his. He couldn't steal his semblance. In fact, Tyrian's aura seemed to eat away at _his_, melting it away and leaving him vulnerable.

Aura negation, a very dangerous semblance that was arguably even more dangerous than his. If it could negate aura, then it could negate semblances as well.

Funny, he always told Mercury that huntsmen relied on their semblances too much, and here he was relying on his and paying the price for it.

"_Are you going to come back and see everyone?" Summer finally asked him five minutes after their early conversation. This topic was something neither of them could avoid. There was too much history to be left forgotten and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't just pretend like nothing that happened ever did happen._

"_You know the answer to that question already," Marcus answered anyway, looking away._

"_I don't actually," Now Summer was blocking his way, forcing him to stop and look down into her silver eyes with his black. "I don't know what you think because its been a decade since I lost saw you! So please, do tell me."_

"_I'm an assassin," Marcus pointed out simply. "I've been getting paid to kill people all around the world. I'm sure you've heard the news of some Atlesian councilmembers and members of the Schnee family being mysteriously captured and killed by the White Fang." As he said this Summer looked more and more hurt, but it was the truth, and she had to deal with what she already suspected. "Ozpin wouldn't take me back even if I begged him, and I doubt the others would be happy to see me."_

"_T-That's not true!" Summer exclaimed. "I told Tai about what I was going to do and he let me go, and Qrow misses you! He lost his best drinking partner." She laughed sadly. "And Raven… I don't know what she's doing right now, but I do know that she respected you and your decision to leave. She actually followed your lead in that department…"_

_Marcus had an idea of what she meant by that, but it was none of his business. But since this Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose were sisters with different last names it was easy to guess what happened. Summer and Tai had to get an opening to get together somehow. _

Thankfully he was able to get his hands free before they were cut off by Adam by shoving his shoulder into Tyrian's nose. A satisfying _snap _was heard as Tyrians' head whipped back as something in his face cracked. When his head snapped back his eyes were glowing a neon purple and he cackled. Still holding on to his arms and negating his aura. Marcus kicked his foot into Tyrians chest and jumped up into the air, using his mother foot to kick Tyrian in the face multiple times while pushing with his other foot, quickly, Tyrian had to let him go lest his aura shatter against Marcus' blows, and just in time soon. Adam just had to stop in his tracks lest he harms his own ally.

Marcus landed behind him and slashed at him with his knife but it was deflected perfectly and he was countered by a vicious slash across his chest at an angle that cut into his aura. He staggered back and held his chest, his aura hadn't been done recovering after Tyrian grabbed him and negated his aura and now there was a line of red and a cut in his shirt. His wound wasn't deep, but it hurt and was bleeding.

What made the feeling worse was when the air began to vibrate as a Bullhead roared over above them. It's hull opened and a squad of five huntsmen and huntresses jumped out and onto the street surrounding him, Neo, Tyrian, and Adam.

"Marcus Black, Neopolitan, Adam Taurus, and Tyrian Callows," The leader of the squad had brown hair and light cyan eyes. Marcus narrowed his eyes at the man, he recognized him as the leader of the Ace Squad of Atlas. He'd often avoid too much heat so he didn't have to deal with them. He wasn't confident in his ability to take them all on at the same time, and their semblances proved to be very annoying from his previous research.

"You are all under arrest," Clover said as he readied his fishing rod of a weapon.

"Under arrest my ass," Marcus sneered under his breath.

"Oh? The Ace Squad?" Tyrian, still with a broken and bleeding nose, looked around in awe of the newcomers to their battle. "I've heard _much _about you from a nerdy friend of mine! My, this has turned out to be a fun day, a fun day indeed. This is going to be troublesome." He looked to Marcus, winked, and then turned his stance _away _from him. "There's four of us and five of you, I like those odds!"

"Like hell, I'd fight with you!" Marcus exclaimed as he aimed his gun at Tyrian.

"Tyrian, you can't be serious." Adam voiced his agreement as he turned his blade toward the other members of the Ace Squad. "He's the one we were sent to kill, not help."

"Oh, he will die, just not yet. Besides, how are we going to get anything done with the children throwing a tantrum?" Tyrian looked at Marcus and winked. "We'll finish our business later, Marcus. We won't be able to kill each other like this. Agreed?"

Marcus knew that it was a bad idea, and Neo definitely agreed with the look that she had on her face. He hated Tyrian with every fiber of his being and expected to be betrayed as soon as the opportunity provided itself. But then again, if they didn't team up they would surely be defeated quite quickly. Even if they were able to hold them off, stronger enemies may approach. Neo needed time in order to use her semblance to get them out of their as well, the actual transportation took a precious second they didn't have in order to actually move them from point A to point B.

Begrudgingly and cautious, Marcus gave Tyrian a subtle nod and spun around. The biggest one was also the slowest, so he went straight after who he believed was Elm and aimed his pistol at her as he sprinted toward her, making sure to keep low to the ground as he did so.

"STAY!" Marrow shouted in an odd echoed voice. Marcus felt his body slow down too a crawl and was practically standing in the same spot. There was a weakness to his semblance however, he could only use it on what he was focusing on, and if there was someone out of his field of vision…

"Watch out!" Harriet used her speed and caught Neo's thin sword before it could stab into Marrow's side. She was fast, very fast. Faster than Ruby was before he stole her semblance and she knew how to use it to her advantage. Neo flipped away and her semblance washed back over her body, and he felt his body speed up again. Behind him, he could hear Tyrian and Adam keeping pace. They'd fight together for now, but only for now. It wouldn't last longer than a few minutes. He swore it.

"_Why won't you come back!?" Summer screamed angrily as she crossed her arms and looked up at him, never surrendering. "We can get you out of this life, you think you know people? Ozpin probably knows more, and we have the new General of Atlas on our side too!"_

"_They know more, Summer." Marcus' patience was running out quickly, he could feel the veins in his face bulging as he desperately held back his anger for her sake. "I can't just leave, the last time I tried that they-... Look, it's just not possible, you trust me, right? Best friends forever and all that crap."_

"_I wouldn't be here if I didn't trust you," Summer said as she gripped his hands and pulled them up. Now she looked sad, which pulled on his heartstrings. Damn Summer… she always knew how to get under his skin and never in a good way. Emotions weren't good for him, he shouldn't have accepted her request to come along with him so easily as he did._

"_You'd become a target," Marcus whispered. "You, Tai, Qrow, and your daughters. All of you. Not everyone gets their happy ending Summer, it's best if you just forget about me and move on. Go back to your family, and let me do my thing. At least that way I can assure that none of you will ever become targets. I'm high ranking, I can-"_

"_Stop!" Summer screeched, crying now. "I don't want to keep hearing that… Master Assassin? Just what kind of screwed up organization is your family roped up in? This isn't you, Marcus, I've seen what you can be!"_

If only she knew…

Elm quickly found herself against three opponents at once. She held her hammer defensively and strengthened her stance with her semblance, prepared to take them all on at once.

"No! Don't let him grab you!" Clover screamed as he threw out the hook of his weapon and coiled it around one of Marcus' hands just before he could grab one of Elm's hands that were holding her weapon.

Elm cursed and deactivated her semblance and jumped back away from Marcus and opted to take on the two other criminals. Tyrian proved to be much stronger and faster than she expected, but she was stronger. He crashed into her like a train and she pushed him back and threw him away, but Adam came up to her side and slashed at the back of her heel. She forced him to pull back before he could do any more, and Vine used his semblance to pull him away from her, her teammates effectively pulling two-thirds of her attackers away and leaving her with the most insane one.

"Your fight is with me," Vine Zeki claimed as he stepped in front of Adam and crossed his aura encased arms.

"And me." Marrow said as he came out from behind Vine, a trail of lighting trickled away from behind him and sped back to Marcus who was now engaging directly with Clover. Adam scowled and sheathed his sword, the brand on his face burning as he grew angrier and angrier.

"I understand your pain and suffering under the employ of the Schnee Dust Company," Marrow said, trying to reason with him. His dog tail caught the attention of Adam's eye, and he was granted permission to continue speaking. "I had a brother who worked in those mines. I got him out of there when I became a huntsman, but I know how bad it is down there."

"Yet you betray your race and work for Atlas anyway?" Adam sneered.

"I want to make things better, its why I trained so much to get into the Ace Ops," Marrow said as he aimed his weapon at the White Fang officer. "Trust me, I was close to joining the fang myself, brother. But look at what violence has done for our people? Sure, some humans started treating us better, but it's not for the right reason. It's out of fear. What you're doing isn't going to make anything better for the faunus in the long run. It's going to start a war."

"Don't talk like you know our intentions," Adam growled back. "If we wanted war we would have had all of Menagerie at our backs already. No one wants to be a terrorist by choice, Atlas forced our hand. Were you there at the peaceful protest rallies? Were you there when they threw rocks at _children _who simply wished to go to school?" Marrow winced and took a step back, intimidated by Adam's passion and flat truths. "Were you there when they branded one of those boys for fighting back for once after constant provoke? No, I think not. Atlas tends to bury any news of _innocent _faunus wrongly accused of crimes."

"Marrow, there is no settling this with dialogue," Vine interjected. "Sometimes people are simply too far gone to reach with words."

Marrow nodded his head sadly and shifted his weapon it's its throwable and ranged from. Adam took that at his answer and charged in. His hair and clothes glowing red as he slashed his semblance in a wide arc. Vine, remembering his hard recovery that ensued after blocking one of those attacks was not keen on tanking another blow. Instead, his colleague used his semblance to slow down to attack. Even slowed as it was, it was still moving at quite a fast pace. But not fast enough that Marrow and Vine couldn't dodge it.

Adam cursed and sheathed his sword again and met them in the middle. Their battle would be a hard-fought one that could go either way. Adam was very dangerous, though so was every member of the Ace Ops.

As half of the Ace Ops was locked in combat against the likes of Tyrian and Adam, the other half and arguably the most skilled members of their squad stood against Marcus Black and Neo. Harriet Bree stood beside Clover Ebi, and they slowly circled around one another. One wrong move would get them caught and their semblance would be stolen away, which would lead to the domino effect of the rest of the Ace Ops falling as an empowered Marcus went on to demolish them all with the help of the other two.

"You take Marcus," Clover whispered to Harriet through the tiny radio he had on the inside of his mouth embedded behind his front tooth. "I'll take the girl. You're better suited to fight him with how fast you are."

"Yes sir," Harriet said with a smirk as the world around her became much slower.

"I'll take the girl," Marcus whispered to Neo. "Distract the other one, but be careful. He's the leader of the Ace Ops for a reason."

Neo nodded her head and faded away. In the next second, he realized that Harriet had just punched him in the stomach and his eyes bulged from its sockets. Before he could try and grab that hand it seemingly disappeared right as he made contact with it, and something smashed into the back of his head and knocked him down to the ground.

Desperately he swung his leg around in a wide sweep and clipped the girl before she could attack him again. But she didn't lose her balance and instead simply dashed away. As he made his way back up to his feet, she bounced on her feet as a featherweight boxer might. "C'mon I thought you were faster than that mister Master Assassin!" She taunted him.

"Oh," Marcus holstered his gun and clenched that fist, the weapon would be useless against someone like her anyway. "You'll see girl, just give me some time."

"Hah! If you weren't a sociopathic child murderer I think I would have liked you!"

Marcus growled but kept his cool. He knew her type. The taunting type that always had a quip for everything and always wants to make their opponent lose their cool. He held a tight defensive posture and held his ground. She was faster, faster than _anyone _he'd ever fought before. But he was an adapter. As she literally ran circles around him while punching and kicking him, he was beginning to sense a pattern. She mainly used her fists, which was implied by her choice of weapon in the form of some kind of gauntlets that was powered by the lightning of her semblance. Which made up for what had to be a lack of power, which gave Marcus an idea…

He let her attack him, let her get in close and land critical blows on his chest, face, and neck. He could tell that she was getting more and more hyped into becoming the woman to bring him down as she continued hammering away at him. It went on for around two minutes. He took a constant beating but suddenly started defending himself again despite the battering his body and aura took. Harriet continued her assault, speeding up her pace even further and lasted for another few minutes.

Then she started to slow down. It was marginal and barely visible with the naked eye. But as Marcus peeked through his guard he was able to make out her figure instead of seeing just a blur. He could see her, and therefore he could _react_ to her.

Letting her land a few more strikes, he caught on to her pattern and style and memorized it. One, two, three, and he dodged to the left and caught the girls fist. Harriet's wide eyes of shock and surprise were satisfying to him as he licked the trickle of blood that flowed down his face from his head and down to his lips. If it weren't for her gauntlets covering her hand, he would have stolen her semblance right there. Oh well, Marcus _smashed _his steel knee into the girl's torso so hard that she was lifted up her feet and thrown into the air and a shockwave exploded from their position in the middle of the street.

When Harriet landed back on the ground her eyes were scrunched shut and she was barely able to breathe. Aura was good for cutting attacks and most blunt force, but it wasn't so strong that it would completely nullify the damage from a steel knee thrown into it at the speed of a car with power behind it. She coughed and hacked, tried to get up, but could only write in pain as she felt like one of her lungs completely collapsed in on itself.

Defeated just in one hit. Typical of a huntress that relied solely on her speed. She sacrificed durability and core strength for muscle mass in her thighs and arms. If she was up against any other person, she would be a force to be reckoned with.

Wasting no time, Marcus went down to one knee and went to place the skin of his hand on Harriet's face.

Clover's hook grabbed his thumb before he could and he felt himself get painfully yanked to the ground by the leader of the Ace Ops. Marcus stood back up on his feet and grabbed the line before it could completely dislocate his thumb. Neo was on her ass against one of the cars, tired and defeated. Marcus cursed and pulled the line _hard_ and Clover was smart enough to let go and not let himself be pulled toward the man who could steal semblances just by touching people.

"Heh, you beat mine and I beat yours, that means we're even?"

"Shut up," Marcus said as he took his gun back out.

"Sounds about right." Clover cracked his knuckles and rolled up sleeves Marcus didn't know he had. Which would make things more difficult to steal his semblance. Marcus had an idea of what his semblance was. He didn't have a whole lot of time to do research on them these past few weeks, but he knew that his semblance was basically just like Qrow's, but was good luck instead of bad luck. If that was the case then it would work against him here. There really was no getting by a passive semblance like that, if Clover had good luck, then everyone around him would too. Including himself.

"Agh!" Before they could fight, Elm screeched at the top of her lungs. Looked to the side, Marcus watched with some disgust as Tyrian dangled one of Elm's hands which were cut off from just above the elbow and gushing out blood. The fact that his hands were flowing with his purple corrupted aura suggested that he used it in order to make her vulnerable there.

"ELM!" Clover screamed and made his way to assist his teammate.

"My, for a big girl you're really easy to beat," Tyrian said as he slapped Elm's face with her own severed arm and then threw it down. "Bah, you're so pathetic I'm not even going to bother killing you. The ones who just scream and cry are the worst, it's so annoying-"

"STAY!" Marrow, now with a bleeding red spot on his side pointed to Tyrian as Vine held Adam against the wall with his semblance, struggling against the bull faunus strength and displeasure in being trapped. Tyrian was stopped on the spot and probably didn't even realize that he was frozen. With Adam restrained and Neo down, he was the only one who could help him and he was currently behind the one who made to attack him. So, he did the only thing he could do.

He pulled out his pistol and shot Marrow in the face. The dark-skinned dog faunus' head whipped back and in a display of a dull blue color his aura shattered and he passed out. At the same time, Elm passed out as well, her own aura flickering off. Vine's was barely hanging in there, but now Tyrian has freed from the time slowing semblance and reared up on Clover.

Suddenly, Clover found himself between an assassin and a crazed man. A joke could be made about that in the future, but against Tyrian and Marcus at the same time, he stood no chance. Especially while he still didn't have his weapon. Right there, Marcus could steal his semblance with Tyrians' help and then continue on. Tyrian was already grabbing Clover and holding him still. All he had to do was touch-

A green explosion sent him flying back and Tyrian with him. After recovering from his spill, Ozpin stood before him. Coming out of the SKU and glaring death in his direction. While the distraction reigned on, Adam escaped from Vine's semblance and overpowered the religious man easily, knocking him out after kicking him in the jaw and retrieving his sword. But he took one look at Ozpin and a bruised Marcus and tired Tyrian, and cut his losses and ran. Leaving them both behind and opting to finish him off later. Marcus shook his head not at his cowardice but at his intelligence. He knew that Ozpin was simply in an entirely different league above him, and admittedly, above his and Tyrians as well.

"Marcus," Ozpin's aura flared and his magic seeped through. Despite being only a fifth of what he once was, he was still as powerful as ever, and as dangerous as one of those seasonal maidens. "Tyrian."

Marcus stepped back as Ozpin stepped forward. He didn't like his chances of beating him while he was already tired. He glanced at Tyrian and Tyrian glanced back, then Marcus kicked out his leg and sprinted away. Betraying him before Tyrian could betray him later. Neo stood up and already knew what he was doing as Tyrian cursed and raised his arms in order to defend himself against the easily more powerful Ozpin.

Neo leaped toward him and grabbed his hand, her semblance flaring as he watched the world flicker around them and turn into an illusion. What he didn't expect was Tyrian to be brought along with them somehow. That somehow became known as he felt his metallic leg get stabbed by a boney scorpion tail. Before he could kick him away, it was too late.

"NO!" Ozpin shouted as he watched three priority targets disappear before his very eyes. "Damn it, no!" He said as he shook his head. Taiyang wasn't going to like this, James and Qrow neither. He looked around and saw the defeated members of the Ace Ops. The best huntresses and huntsmen in the world, all defeated. The only one who was left standing was Clover, who looked just as defeated as he felt.

They'd lost them.

"Damn it… I was too late."

It frustrated him to no end. All this power, and yet still, he wasn't able to stop three exhausted people.

He could only hope that they'd kill each other. They were never going to get a good opportunity like that again.

* * *

_Marcus cried out for Summer to move but it was too late, she was too into the moment, too into the idea of bringing him back to Vale, and Beacon, and all of the friends that he had left behind. It was only a flash, but he knew what he saw. A man with a scorpion tail burst out of the bushes and slashed at Summer's back with what looked to be a purple aura encased hand. Right after Summer's aura was torn open, the stinger of the scorpion tail stabbed into her spine and pumped a pint of venom into her body before he could pull out his gun in time to shoot at the monster._

_The purple-eyed man cackled and ran off and didn't even react to his bullets as it bounced off of his aura. He wanted to chase him down and kill him, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Summer fell forward into his arms and he caught her and gently lowered her down and had her rest on his leg as he sat down. Staring down with shock and sadness and anger as the veins in Summer's face were tinted lightly with purple and bulging painfully._

_Summer coughed up blood and he feared the worst. He found himself apologizing for distracting her before he realized his mouth opened. _

"_I-It's not your fault," Summer choked at him as she held his hand tightly. "I let my guard down after all… heh." Even now, she cracked a joke. Marcus' eyes stung with tears. "Tears? I thought you said you were emotionless…"_

"_Shut up," Marcus choked out as he held her. "Shut up…" He cried. He realized quickly that she wasn't going to make it. Her expression and the paralyzation of her lower body made that obvious. Venom by faunus was much more lethal than venom by actual insects, arachnids, or reptiles. "Why couldn't you just walk away as I told you too!?" _

"_Because that'd mean leaving you behind…"_

"_Yeah, well you'd still be alive," Marcus pointed out. "You stupid, stubborn idiot," More tears streamed down his face and onto Summer's white cloak. "Why do you care so much about me?"_

"_Y-You're my friend," Summer simply stated as if that was the only thing that was important. "I-I love you, Marcus. Y-You're my best friend. I couldn't just forget about you. D-did you think an n-note was going to be able to keep me away from you forever?" _

"_..." Marcus was at a loss for words. He just held her tighter._

_He remembered everything they did together. From the moment the first met on the Bullhead that was taking them up to Beacon for initiation. They clicked almost right away, and they'd even agreed to become partners if they could much to the jealousy of Maddox and amusement of Marcus. He was older than most in the first years so that immediately set him apart from everyone else, however, not from her. Not from Summer and Team STRQ. Raven became his secret sparring partner, Qrow became his drinking buddy, Taiyang became a friend, and that was not even mentioning his own team. Team MBTR, or Mobster. He didn't know why he was made leader, but he was. He was never happier than he ever was while he was in Beacon. Roman, his partner, fit well with his style and personality despite being a smartass piece of sassy shit. And everything else just fit together, everything was so perfect until Glenn happened. _

_And now look at them now… With him holding one of his best friends in his arms as she died. Balling his eyes out as she slowly was drained of life._

"_It doesn't need… to end here…" Summer croaked to him. The grip on his hand tightened, and she stared up into his eyes with all the strength that she still had within her. "I can live on in you, within your semblance."_

"_You… want me to steal your semblance!?" Marcus asked, shocked at the proposal. _

"_Not steal," Summer smiled weakly. "More like accepting a gift from a friend. I think it will help you, one day..."_

_She was going to give it to him willingly, she meant. Marcus never had that happen before, someone actually willingly giving their semblance away to him. He didn't know what would happen to him in the future, but he just assumed it would be the same as usual. Just another voice in his head. If it was Summers though..._

"_If that is your last request… I'll accept it." Marcus said, taking off his glove on his other hand with his teeth and placing it on Summer's cheek. _

"_Just… promise me…" Summer begged as she stared up at him with tearstained eyes. "Promise me you'll prove to everyone that you're not a monster. Prove to yourself that you are not just a tool made for murder. Promise me that you'll become the huntsman you were meant to be, and stop this assassin nonsense. But most of all… promise me that you'll be at peace with yourself one day…" Summer began to fade. "Please… promise… It doesn't have… to be… right away… Ah…"_

_Marcus didn't say a word, he hated making promises. But the look in his eyes seemed to fill Summer with hope. She closed her eyes and gave her semblance over to Marcus willingly and unbeknownst to either of them at the time, a fragment of her soul as well. _

_Summer went limp in his arms, and Marcus screamed to the heavens cursing all the Gods that existed. He felt as if it was his fault, but something in the back of his mind helped him recover. It wasn't his fault, he couldn't do anything about it._

_But it didn't stop him_ from feeling guilty all the way up to now.

Neo managed to transport them all up to the roof of a building with the last of her strength. But at the cost of the rest of her stamina and aura. Transporting more than two people at a time proved to be more than taxing on her body than she expected. Then again, it wasn't like she totally expected to teleport three people including herself at once.

Tyrian got up right as Marcus did, both of them seemingly recovering at the same time. Neo struggled to get on her feet, but she didn't even have her weapon with her. Marcus staggered, his thighs were shaking and phantom pains ran up and down his metal legs. All of the punches and attacks on him from Harriet were just now setting in as pain as the adrenaline faded away only for it to come back in a rush. Tyrian wasn't nearly as damaged as he was and handled his own opponent quite well. More than well.

"Hehe…" Tyrian giggled as he noticed Marcus' weakened state. "This is the part where we settle things and kill each other."

"No," Marcus grit his teeth and glared back. "This is the part where I put a bullet in between your eyes and avenge her. Then I kill Cinder, Adam, and save Beacon from her fucked up plan."

"And the only thing to back that up is some silly promise?" Tyrian taunted. Marcus wanted to punish him for it, but he was just too tired. His muscles were so heavy and he felt nauseous. Still okay to fight, but not okay enough to aim a firearm. "Don't be stupid… a repeat of what happened before will happen again," Tyrian remarked as his scorpion tail flexed and stretched out. The threat was obviously clear to him.

As tired as he was right now, this was going to be a difficult battle. But not one that was unwinnable.

Summer's blood was on this man's hands. And now he had the power to finally avenge her.

He wasn't a good man, far from it. But he wasn't a monster either. He was a man with a contract, and Tyrian Callows was his next target.

* * *

**Much longer than I thought it would be, but the next chapter will finish this off. Do you like crying? I do too. Let's see how it goes!**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**


	32. Chapter 32

**Here we go again! I was going to put this part in the last chapter, but I changed my mind. Sometimes it's better to split stuff into two chapters then shove everything into one. I'm not doing the finale just yet anyhow. When the finale does come, that is where I will put the entire final arc into one mega chapter. See you there!**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 32**

* * *

Tyrian dashed forward low and Marcus met in kind. Even as tired as he was, he still had his brains. He knew that he couldn't match Tyrian's strength in his current state so instead of recklessly clashing blades with him like they were before he ground his knife against his and deflected it perfectly. The sound it made was loud and screeching as the metal of their weapons sparked against each other. His back right foot kicked up dust on the roof and blew away a pluff of tiny rocks and gravel that made up the structure of the roof, designed to lessen the effects and absorb rainwater or snow so that it didn't damage the foundation of the top of the building. In this situation, it gave his movements a little more traction to stop suddenly and turn, however, that also worked in the favor of Tyrian, who is a much more aggressive and reckless fighter than he will ever be.

The stinger was used as a piercing weapon to try and stab into Marcus's weak aura and into his flesh, and he couldn't be bothered to have that. Tyrian had the advantage in the aura department and could manage using that part of his body as a weapon and a shield. Marcus spotted the telltale shine of corrupted purple aura from his hands and flipped away, allowing Tyrian to grab nothing but air and then forced to defend himself from the bullets that Marcus fired at him as soon as he landed on his feet some meters away. The building wasn't that big, and another two feet and he'd be plummeting down a scary distance likely to his death. Landing strategies relied on the person's aura and having a few puffs of it didn't do much other than making it slightly less painful when you broke every bone in your body and bled to death.

Marcus sneered over his shoulder but ultimately returned his focus back onto the deadly scorpion faunus. He couldn't be pushed back anymore and Neo was still knocked out so she wasn't going to be able to help him anytime soon. He was on his own in this one, which was more than okay. He couldn't wait to blow a hole in the center of Tyrians' skull and send his tail back to Cinder. If she thought his declaration of war was sending Emerald to prison for the rest of her life or betraying her at the organization's facility, then she had a very shocking surprise in store.

Marcus held his ground and let one of his mechanical feet press up against the ledge lip at the edge of the building for extra support as he guarded himself against Tyrian's reckless full strength charge. The impact created a shockwave that kicked away all of the gravel underneath them and cracked the foundation. Marcus groaned and twisted to the left. Tyrian managed to catch himself on the concrete rail before falling to his death, but couldn't protect himself as Marcus kicked him in the middle of his back, smashing him against the railing and cracking it further. Marcus raised his leg up high in the air to give Tyrian another one of his signatures smashes, but the faunus rolled out of the way right before it could connect. Destroying the rest of that railing and leaving a straight drop straight to the ground.

"What are those things made of?" Tyrian asked as he spun himself back up to his feet, wincing the entire time.

Marcus smirked and didn't answer. That was his own secret that he was going to bring to the grave. Instead, he took a page out of his late son's book and switched to a straight kicking oriented style and dashed forward in a blur of red and white. Tyrian's scorpion eyesight was just as poor as it always was and the faunus clearly struggled to keep up with him and his attacks. Instead of dodging or risking a parry, Tyrian simply backpedaled and held his arms across himself to protect his body and vital organs as effectively as he could.

That would have worked against regular flesh and bone legs and feet, but Marcus' was made of metal from the knee down. Every blow to his guard shook Tyrian's bones to his core and each one made him groan in pain. Marcus didn't let up, throwing kick after kick even as his limbs grew heavier and heavier with fatigue. He knew he couldn't keep this up forever, so in order to try and end the fight fast, he put all of his strength into the next few kicks.

If Tyrian wanted to guard himself and waste aura by simply guarding himself like he was doing now, then Marcus was all for it. At the very least, Marcus could even the playing field and at the very best Tyrian's guard would break and the fight would end with Marcus' heel caving in his face. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be the case no matter how much Marcus wanted to hope it would. Marcus growled and fought through the burning numbing feeling in his muscles as he raised his feet and smashed his heel directly into Tyrian's crossguard. The faunus groaned but held his ground, only skidding through the gravel, though his aura flared. Marcus growled as he threw another kick, this one of the spinning variety and increased his striking power with positive momentum and struck Tyrian in the side. He didn't stop there and jumped up and threw a flying axe kick down onto Tyrians wrist blades. He felt something snap, though he felt no pain. Tyrian cried out and fell down, one of his wrist blades damaged and one of the blades on that arm falling off. He was lucky that the arm didn't get broken entirely. Although his aura flared purple and threatened to shatter just like Marcus' did, all that happened was the evening of the playing field. Tyrian was just as strong as he was before, only now he was angry.

"You _bitch!_" Tyrian exclaimed as he threw off that destroyed wrist blade. "You have _no _idea what you've just done! Lefty, oh no… How could you!? I've spent the better half of my life with that piece of sharpened metal… the number of lives this arm has taken… _ruined_!"

"And now it won't cut any more people apart," Marcus heaved as he struggled to stay standing on his two feet. His metal legs, however unnoticeable, suffered some internal damage. The hydraulics and nuts and bolts that kept it all together loosened and he could smell the leak of some of the fluids already. They were made to be strong and durable, but there was a limit. He hasn't been able to put any maintenance into his legs in months. There was bound to be some weaker points in them and now his oversight came back to bite him in the ass. "I told you Tyrian, this only ends when one of us dies, and it isn't going to be me."

"We'll see about that, Black!" Tyrian scowled at him. His maniacal and psychotic giggling and cackling were over with, he suddenly realized the full extent of fighting Marcus completely one on one and knew that there was a chance that he wouldn't survive. That angered him. It shook him. Marcus knew that look in his eyes very well. It was the body's fight or flight response to any given undesirable situation. He remembered seeing it in the eyes of those he'd killed as contracts, people who didn't even have their auras unlocked or any experience in combat naturally had no chance of fighting him. But also had no chance of running away from him. The huntsmen and huntresses he fought in the past had that same look once he stole their semblances. Without their semblances, they were powerless, helpless. Most tried to run away, the foolish ones tried to keep fighting in order to keep up to their own vision of what a huntsman or huntress was supposed to be. A hero, a savior, someone who never gives up. That or glory.

Tyrian was different. His eyes promised death and he truly believed it. He would be very willing to kill himself if it meant landing a fatal hit on him. Out of all the opponents that Marcus had been up against, Tyrian was a breed of his own. Crazy, insane, with no concern for his own wellbeing. Perfect for someone like Salem to take under her wing and manipulate to fulfill whatever her desires demanded. Cinder was smart for calling him in to hunt him down. There was a very good chance that they would kill each other and cross off two of the biggest thorns in her side in one motion.

"C'mon body…" Marcus whispered under his breath as he put his better leg forward. At least he's right leg was still mostly in one piece and had less internal damage. "You've survived worse. Let's finish this…"

Tyrian dashed forward and his left hand flared purple as his aura negation semblance took hold. Marcus kept an eye on that and unholstered a second knife and held it in his offhand. With mutual roars, Marcus and Tyrian smashed their weapons against each other. Marcus and Tyrian both winced as they felt the bones in their wrists creak and go onto the verge of dislocating or breaking entirely. Another hit like that, and it would happen. Tyrian stepped back and went low, his brown jacket flapping in Marcus' face as his leg was encased by the same corrupted aura. Marcus couldn't afford any more damage to his legs and while blind, jumped up into the air and made to stomp down on Tyrian's jacket.

He stomped on nothing but leather and didn't realize that Tyrian slipped out of the apparel before he felt blades scrape against his abs. His eyes bulged and his white aura flickered. After pushing away the strike and flipping away, he mentally gauged his own aura. One more hit and he would be out of aura. Marcus sneered and kept moving. It just meant that he had to be faster.

Tyrian leaned back so far his back was practically touching the ground as Marcus' good leg swept right above his face and barely grazed the tip of his nose. He stood back up as the leg passed over him, but Marcus kept moving with his momentum. Going low as Tyrian struck high and dodged it, then Tyrian jumped over his own sweep and tried to stab down at him. Only for him to roll to the right and twirl back up to his knees. His gun was suddenly in his left hand and Tyrian caught the knife Marcus threw at him with his free hand before taking two bullets to the chest.

Tyrian snarled loudly in pain as two big welts of bruises formed in the middle of his chest and threw back the knife he'd caught with all his strength. Marcus caught it as well and threw it back, only for Tyrian to catch it and throw it back again. Back and forth they went and they increased in speed and constantly caught the knife and threw it back for a straight ten seconds. The intense focus was required and neither of them could risk missing or being forced to dodge it lest the other push forward while they were in the motion of twirling out of the way. Until at last Marcus caught it, spun his entire body, and threw it back.

Tyrian caught it again but threw it away quickly when he saw a blinking red light on the hilt of the throwing knife. He jumped away as the knife exploded in a small burst of orange, red, and black. But the intended damage from the explosion itself wasn't what Marcus was going for, it was the shrapnel instead.

The shards of the knife Marcus designed himself was pushed out throughout the surface of the roof of that building. A few of those pieces pushed into Tyrian's aura and cut his body as his aura finally went out. However, the tactic was always a risky one. Marcus protected his face and eyes as the shards of his own knife cut against his own aura and lacerated his forearms and slashed his clothes. Marcus went down to one knee once the initial explosion and collateral damage was over and done with and let out a deep breath as he felt his own aura shatter and fade away.

Tyrian stood back up slowly, taking deep breaths and bleeding from a dozen lacerations all across his body and hanging his arms in a lazy stance. Marcus forced himself onto his own feet but put all of his weight on his right leg instead of his damaged other. Lacerations and wounds and cuts all over his body that was a result of their battle that has lasted for over an hour now. It felt much longer as Marcus blinked his eyes to rid them of the stinging sensation of sweat and blood and polluted air.

The way Tyrian breathed and growled and snapped at him was like a Grimm would. While Marcus made himself much calmer than he actually felt. He'd pulled out almost every trick that was up his sleeve so far, all except for stealing Tyrian's semblance and aura. He never tried to use his semblance while his aura was down, but now was the time to test it. Tyrian's semblance would be useless now that they were both out of aura, but that just raised the stakes even higher. One good hit on either side and the battle would be won. One slash, one stab of Tyrian's tail in the right spot, and it was all over.

It's been a long time since Marcus lost his aura, and usually, he wouldn't have let himself be hit so many times. That Harriet bitch with the speed semblance did this to him, damn it, he could hear her taunting laughter echoing in his mind right now.

Marcus moved and so did Tyrian, they met in the middle and their battle became much more focused and skillful. Tyrian didn't let him touch him, and Marcus did the same in turn. Sparks flew from their weapons and Marcus ran out of ammo in his gun. As they fought Tyrian's other wrist blade was destroyed. But at the cost of Marcus' weakened grip slipping and dropping the knife to the ground. From there it became hand to hand and somehow Tyrian was able to fight and keep Marcus' hands away from him. They were practically equal. Two men around the same age who matched each other's strengths, speed, and weaknesses nearly perfectly. The battle turned into a contest of stamina. Whoever got slow first was the one who was going to die.

Tyrian stabbed his tail at him and Marcus caught it with his two hands. He tried activating his semblance but he was too slow. Tyrian's foot clashed against his stomach and he spat out blood and spit into Tyrian's face. While his eyes shut instinctively, Marcus let himself fall forward and _smashed _his forehead into Tyrian's nose.

Marcus fell forward onto his forearms and stomach while Tyrian fell backward and screamed in pain as his broken nose broke even further and blood was pouring out of his face.

Marcus tried to push himself back up to his feet but his arms were jelly and impossibly numb and sore to the point where he wasn't even able to feel it. His legs were in the same boat. The metal half of them was just too heavy and he didn't have the strength anymore to lift them. The best he could do was push himself onto his hands and knees and drag his hands across the gravel in a vain attempt to find the knife he dropped and use that to kill Tyrian. But even that move was as slow as a snail and he fell back down onto his face, exhausted.

He nearly passed out but forced his eyes open again and drew strength from deep within himself to force himself onto one knee. But only so that he could see his life flash before his eyes as he watched as Tyrian was already on his feet and lunging at him with his stinger. Everything went through his mind again, a repeat of the most recent events. Him going around with Emerald recruiting and taking care of rebellious gangs. Cinder finding him, him murdering his own son. Roman and Neo finding him. Qrow, Ozpin, that Blake girl and Summer's girls that he'd tormented. All the way back to his times as an assassin and his enrollment in Beacon Academy.

Everything seemed to go black as he shut his eyes, his arm too slow to catch Tyrian's tail and even if he did he wouldn't have the strength to stop it.

Blood splashed in his face and he gasped. Though he felt no pain.

Neo stood before him with a pained look on her face, and the stinger of Tyrian's tail powerfully stabbed into her shoulder. Tyrian's tail _bulged _as venom pumped itself into her body and all Marcus could do was watch as the veins in Neo's body started bulging with purple. Despite the suffering pain she had to be going through, Neo reached forward and traced a hand around his face before falling to the side.

Marcus roared. His willpower to fight increasing tenfold and his aura recharging suddenly in a bright flash of white and silver. Tyrian's tail was still stuck in Neo's back and he was helpless to do anything to stop Marcus as he grabbed his face and _slammed _the back of his head into the gravel, cracking his skull. Marcus didn't stop there, after stealing Tyrian's semblance and aura and empowering himself even further, Marcus reached and grabbed the knife that was still on the ground and stabbed it into Tyrian's chest, missing a vital organ on purpose. He didn't even give Tyrian time to try and speak his last words. Marcus tore his knife out and stabbed it down again. Twisted it, and ripped it out again. He stabbed Tyrian fifty times before he stopped counting and only when Tyrian's chest was rendered a bloody pulpy mess of flesh and blood did Marcus stop. There was no need to even check if Tyrian was dead, his ribcage was visible and there was enough blood spilled all around the rooftop to suggest a Grimm attack.

Marcus dropped his knife at the body's side and fell off it. Picking himself back up, he made his way back to Neo. Who was shaking and trembling as the venom in her body did its job.

"Neo…" Marcus whispered as he cradled Neo in his arms and sat back on the ground. His bloody wounds wiping off of Neo's clothing as he held her. "Neo, why the fuck would you do that!? Damn it… I promised… I promised him that-" He cut himself off with a whimper, unable to handle the mental strain of speaking and simply shutting his eyes as a familiar burn welled up from behind his eyes.

Neo blinked her eyes open and with a half-lidded stare, smiled at him. Her hand weakly raised up to touch his face, wiping away at tears that didn't yet fall. For all he knew, that might just be what she was seeing while under the effects of Tyrian's venom.

"I-I-" Marcus widened his eyes as for the first time, he heard words come from Neo's mouth. It was cracked and broken and sounded like someone speaking for the first time after taking a decade long vow of silence. It was strained and it looked like it pained Neo to even get those first two syllables out. "I promised him," She spoke in a voice barely loud enough for him to hear her. "Roman, you're his best friend. So that means you have to live." Neo's hand raised and she pressed it against his chest. "No matter what…"

Her eyes closed and she made sure the skin of her face touched Marcus' gloveless hand. Immediately, he felt the pull of his semblance grasping on to Neo's remaining aura and he remembered the familiar scene like it just happened earlier that day. He knew what this meant, Neo knew that she was going to die so why wouldn't she try to help him one last time?

The words she spoke were going to be her last as she returned to her mute self, simply resting against him with as peaceful a look she was ever going to have on her face while she waited for the venom in her system to finish the job. Marcus wailed and felt the burning sensation behind his eyes burst through with a hot-cold feeling as he felt the tears slide down his face. Wordlessly, he held Neo tighter and accepted her offer. The second person to ever offer their aura and semblance to him willingly, and for him to accept it. _Two for two_, as he knew Roman would Quip.

As he accepted Neo's semblance and aura, she finally expired in his arms a much more peaceful death than what would have been her fate if he allowed her to expire the natural way.

He sat there on that rooftop for hours, until the sunset high in the sky and went back down as the clock struck midnight. It was then when Marcus finally willed himself to gently lift Neo across his body and keep her there with one arm. No matter what her past may have been, she deserved a proper burial at the very least for saving his ass as many times as she did, and for becoming the only person he trusted and cared for ever since he got his shit back together. They've only known each other for a few months and _really _knew each other for even less than that, but he cared for her, and even if it was because of Roman's last wish, she cared for him as well. He was going to personally make sure that she got a proper send-off as thanks.

He stood up and walked toward Tyrian's dead body. His yellow eyes stared lifelessly to the sky. He looked too peaceful, even if there was a pool of blood in his own chest and around his body. Marcus calmly pulled out his pistol, loaded it with a normal metal bullet, and shot it directly into his forehead right between the eyes. Tyrian's dead eyes went cross and the muscles in his face spasmed to look more pained.

Satisfied, Marcus walked slowly to the edge of the building, looked down, and then jumped to the next. Neo's hair flowed with the wind as he made his way back down to the city, and he took her to the only place he knew of that would be worthy of holding her body for the rest of time.

* * *

"The Ace Ops were defeated," Ozpin said with a defeated sigh as he slumped his head against his desk.

"I am well aware," Ironwood replied, sitting across from him with a bottle of brandy held weakly in his hand. "Marrow's surgery was successful however, and Vine is still asleep but recovering. I'll have a bionic arm fitted to Elm's body structure and Harriet is fine, just depressed because of how easily Marcus was able to adapt to her and defeat her. Clover is the only one who didn't require medical attention, but as you can imagine, he is not doing so well mentally."

"He's lucky his survivor's guilt isn't because he is an actual survivor," Ozpin remarked. "I've already had Qrow take care of that. After today, we all need a good drink and something to cheer us up."

"The people are questioning whether or not _either of us_ is really trustworthy enough to defend them now," Ironwood commented, ignoring Ozpin's final words. "The best huntsmen and huntresses of Atlas were defeated and hospitalized. Vale's police force, rushing all around the city desperately for any sign of Adam Taurus, Callows, or Marcus and his little accomplice."

"Taiyang isn't going to be happy about that…"

"I've already had my security force him back into his room," Ironwood said with a bitter laugh. "He calmed down after his daughters found him having an anxiety attack and a panic attack at the same time."

"Winter took it surprisingly well, how is she doing?" Ozpin asked next.

"As well as you can expect…" James sighed. "Her father contacted her recently, apparently he has found out about Marcus' relation to the Schnee's. Somehow." He sighed again. "Also apparently, he suddenly is worrying about the safety of his daughters. So far, unofficially, he and his wife whom I have not seen in years are calling for the safe return of their daughters back to Atlas and the Schnee manor because they, and I quote, "_Cannot trust the safety of their children to kingdoms who can't capture a single man"_." Again, the general of Atlas laughed and shook his head. "We've really fucked up this time, Oz. Haven't we?"

"For once, I must agree with you, James," Ozpin said. "It seems even I have bitten off more than I can chew. We've been focusing so much on capturing Marcus and thwarting whatever Cinder's plans may be that the Vytal Festival has suffered for it, the White Fang has been running around practically unchecked, and my students are depressed and rebellious. I mean, the first years are rooting for Team _CRDL_." Ozpin chuckled. "I was under the impression no one really liked them, and here we are."

"I haven't seen you act like this before, Oz. Are you suggesting that we give up?"

"No, certainly not." Ozpin quickly corrected. "We can't give up, all we can do now is learn from our mistakes. Marcus Black however dangerous is clearly not working for Cinder. Therefore he shouldn't be a priority any longer unless he makes himself one."

"Cinder then," Ironwood nodded his head in approval. "We are going to focus on her for a change?"

"Indeed. We've heard nothing of her since the raid on the organization Marcus took part in. We can suspect that she is an ally of Salem and that is confirmed since Tyrian has arrived in Vale as well."

"I am in full agreement." Ironwood toasted and raised his glass cup in the air. "To learn from our mistakes?" He prompted.

Reaching forward, Ozpin clinked his cup against the generals. "To learn from our mistakes."

A blaring, annoying sound rang from Ozpin's pager that startled the two men so much they nearly dropped their mugs entirely as they shook and sat up straight instinctively. The headmaster of Beacon quickly shot his hand toward the device and pushed down on a button.

"What is it?" Ozpin asked, sounding much more professional than before.

"_Ozpin!" _Doctor Oobleck's panicked voice put Ozpin on edge. "_An unauthorized Bullhead has landed in Beacon's port and didn't answer any callsigns! Security guards went to go apprehend the intruder, but they were all knocked unconscious!"_

Widening his eyes, Ozpin didn't know what to say.

"_Professor Port and I have arrived on the scene and we will be hunting down this intruder, I thought it wise to let you-"_

"NO!" Ozpin screamed into the pager. James was already preparing his gear and was on his feet. "Call Glynda and stay right where you are! James and I are on our way, _do not _approach the intruder without us, that is an order!"

"_S-sir?"_

"Do you understand!?"

"_Yes, we shall wait here!" _

Filled with newfound resolve, Ozpin grabbed his cane and stormed into the elevator along with Ironwood and shot down all the way to ground level. Whoever this was, they didn't want to take any chances. This intruder was about to have the full might of Beacon brought down on their head.

* * *

Marcus groaned and clapped his hands together to try and get most of the dirt off of his hands. Digging a six foot deep that was about five feet in length and three feet wide was harder than he thought it would be. But the job was done, Neo was buried and there she would rest for the rest of eternity. He could hear her squeal of approval in his head, and Summer's praise in the back of his mind. Thanking him for his deed.

It was the only place he could think of. Beacon's private graveyard for huntsmen and huntresses who didn't have any family who existed or cared enough to retrieve their remains. They were buried there with full honors. Besides, Neo definitely did more than most of the other bodies there, she just helped save all of Vale and Beacon entirely. The least that could be done for her as a decent place for her body to lay.

"About time," Marcus said as he took out his knife and pistol as he heard about a dozen people run around the corner. He stood there without moving as lights shined on his face and body. He was surrounded almost immediately. Winter Schnee, Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen, some professors of Beacon and even a few older students had him completely at their mercy. The circle opened up for Ozpin and James Ironwood to step through and face him. He greeted them with a smile, stretching his arms across his body and showing off the dirt on his face, clothes, and hands.

"Marcus," The general growled at him as he aimed his own gun at him. "You have some nerve coming here and causing trouble. What are your intentions? Who did you bring?"

"I came here for two reasons, to bury a body. The person that was that body is now six feet in the ground and you better leave her there if you don't want me to kill those pretty little students over there." Intimidated, those fourth-year teams of students stepped back.

"And the second reason?" Ozpin asked, stepping forward in the protection of those students. "It better be a good one, because I am showing a vast amount of restraint at the moment."

"Oh, that?" Marcus smiled as he dropped his gun and knife, then shrugged off the armour plates on his shoulder's and pants. Leaving him in a simple red workout shirt and brown combat pants that were so ripped they might as well not even be considered pants. His bionic legs were still visible, and one of them was clearly damaged. With no armour or weapons to defend himself with. Just to sell it even further, Marcus let out a deep breath and he _withdrew _his aura.

"What are you doing?" A confused Ozpin asked.

Marcus looked back up and held his hands forward in a way that would make it easy for someone to put cuffs on him. His smile was as cocky as ever.

"I surrender."

* * *

**Bleh, I am so exhausted from work that I nearly gave up on writing this chapter today. I slept until noon and I have work again later tonight and this Coronavirus panic is really making things more difficult. Eh, whatever, the show must go on and this chapter is nearing its climax! **

**Oh, yeah, and Marcus surrendered. Has he finally had a change of heart?**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	33. Chapter 33

**Here we are again, let's keep the streak going. Just a few more chapters to go after this point.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 32**

* * *

Cinder paced back and forth with a tense expression on her face as Adam stood before her bowing his head with shame and disappointment. Beside him was Tenne, who was just as shocked as she was when she heard the news. The ambush on Neo and Marcus had failed, and Tyrian was missing. The last time that Adam saw him was when Neo took him and Marcus and transported them somewhere to some other part of the city. After hearing that, one of two scenarios immediately popped up within Cinder's mind. The more ideal one where Tyrian managed to take out an exhausted and injured Neo and Marcus, or the nightmare scenario when he was ultimately defeated and killed off. The longer that she waited and paced back and forth, the more her heartbeat in her chest at an increased pace. Not even Adam, who would usually be rebellious at every turn with her was acting his usual self.

"I knew he was good, but not _that _good." He'd said to her prior. "He was beyond anything I expected, and then the Ace Ops came…"

Drat, Cinder cursed Ozpin and James for going to such measures for just a single man. If they hadn't appeared and ruined everything she was confident that Tyrian and Adam would have been the easy victors. No matter how good Marcus was, Tyrian was at the very least his equal and Neo although good enough to be somewhat beyond the level of a huntsman she was still recovering from a gunshot wound to the leg. The only good news that she has gotten so far is that the Ace Ops despite being quite the nuisance are almost all in critical condition. If Ozpin hadn't shown up at the time he did… UGH! Cinder wanted to unleash her power and destroy every inanimate object in her immediate vicinity. Everything, EVERYTHING was beginning to fall apart!

"Ma'am," Tenne called out to her as she looked through her scroll as she was told ordered to with the goal of finding any news articles or channels that were live at the moment. It was still early in the morning, but usually, there was always _a _channel live and active at every hour. "I may have found something, pull out your scroll and look up this 'Lavender Live at Channel Eight'."

"Hm," Was the only verbal thanks that Tenne was going to get as Cinder pulled out her scroll and did what was suggested to her. From the corner of her eye, Adam could be seen doing the same thing. Cinder activated her scroll and flicked through other useless and inactive channels and went on to Lisa Lavender's show. She had done business with the woman once to advertise what she and the White Fang have been doing. The most obvious plans of course and nothing that could actually threaten her and thine. But seeing her on the screen of her scroll right then and there sent uncomfortable chills up and down her spine. The news titled was listed as such:

_Breaking News: Man found mutilated and deceased on top of the rooftop of an Adult Dance Club, signs of a battle found. Investigation is ongoing._

Then Cinder began to listen to what Lisa Lavender was actually reporting. Her brows raised and her eyes widened the more she listened.

"_Lisa Lavender with a report on this tragic event. An unheard of encounter with what we thought were villains in the form of confirmed hitman Marcus Black and his accomplice Neo were confirmed seen in the battle against the infamous leader of the White Fang's Vale and Atlesian division Adam Taurus and Serial Killer Tyrian Callows. The latter of the two previously thought dead after his prison transport ship was brought down by a swarm of Grimm." _

Cinder gripped her scroll so tightly that the screen began to crack and fold. She had to force herself not to rip it in half.

"_Thankfully, Atlesian General Ironwoods elite squad of huntsmen and huntresses known as the Ace Ops sprung into action immediately. I was not able to receive a comment from the only majorly uninjured member and leader of the Ace Ops Clover Ebi. Neither from the headmaster of Beacon, who made a surprise appearance and seemingly scared off the opposition from continuing their battle. However, they were unable to capture any of the known criminals, and they were thought to have dispersed to fight another day."_

"_But due to constant searching and surveillance over this entire Southeast quadrant of the city, we have found evidence of a battle. Just a few miles away from the scene where I am at now. My editor will now pull up the scene that we have found. I warn you, this is graphic. If you are squeamish at the sight of blood, I urge you to look away."_

Cinder looked away and shut off her scroll the moment she saw Tyrian's mangled body on the screen. She only stared at it for a few seconds, but it was very clear that the man who Salem personally went out of her way to save and recruit was dead. The dozens of stab wounds in his chest and gunshot wound to the brain were raw evidence of that.

For the first time in a very long time, Cinder's leg felt like they were made of jelly and she had to sit down on the nearest table. Her eyes shook and as she looked down at her hands her scroll fell to the ground when she saw that they were shaking as well. This sensation was… vastly uncomfortable. It was almost unrecognizable. Ever since she got part of the Fall Maidens power she never thought she could feel such emotion again.

Fear. Indecisiveness. Concern. Only the most latter of the three was something she'd even begun to feel in the past few years. Concern over her ability to become the perfect catalyst that Salem needed to become the Fall Maiden, concern over her strength to become strong enough to demand respect from her underlings in Emerald and Roman and the gangs that they'd recruit for her. Concern over her own plan to recruit the one man that even Ozpin had given up hunting. The last time she felt any kind of _real _concern was over her own life when Amber was about to kill her. Only for her to be saved by the one man that she now understood why the headmaster of Beacon was so cautious of.

Marcus Black was a master assassin for a reason. And with Adam demoralized, Tyrian slain, she knew who his next target was. And that scared her. It angered her to no end that she was failed once again, and even though she _knew _that she could beat him with the maiden powers. She was still afraid. She had to admit in her mind that finally, she was afraid of someone. Salem was once that person ever since she told her about her past and her vast powers and abilities. But even she had faded into the background as a close ally and occasional confidante.

"Cinder?" Tenne called out to her, shutting off her scroll so that Lisa Lavender's voice could no longer be heard. "What will you have us do?"

"Nothing," Cinder waved her hand across her body swiftly, a trail of fire and smoke following it as she accidentally unleashed some of her power. Tenne and Adam winced and didn't dare speak against her. "You stay away from that man. Clearly, hunting him down is not something that should be considered a smart idea."

"I agree," Adam said as he ran a hand over the many bruises and recalled all the damage he'd taken from his battle with Marcus and the Ace Ops. "Fighting two members of the Ace Ops at the same time was easier than battling that man. Even with the help of Tyrian."

"Do we continue on with the plan then?" Tenne asked in a hiss, her snake faunus side rearing its ugly end once again. "I still have my best hackers at work with the help of that man that created the virus still implanted in Beacon's and Atlas' systems, but I can move them according to what you need from us."

"No," Cinder said as she regained her composure quickly. "Beacon and the Vytal Festival will still set the stage for what is to come. Nothing changes. All else that I can demand from you is to stay cautious and stay hidden. We don't need any more deaths, there's been enough of that and betrayal as of late."

"You can trust in the White Fang to do their part." Adam scowled as Cinder glared at him next. "This attack will bring recognition and respect to the Fang as a whole. There is no reason to go back now after coming this far."

"We are still with you, Ma'am," Tenne added. "My earlier proclamation still stands."

"Hm," Cinder nodded her head and accepted it. "Very well, I will hold that to you. Both of you. Adam, I don't see why you are still here." She said, looking to the scarred man. "If you weren't required I would have punished you severely for your failure and cowardice. After the Festival is done, I never want to see you again."

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual," Adam said with a sneer as he returned his new mask up to his face and covered his scar and eyes. "I'll make sure to tell Sienna about what has occurred here and explain to her how exactly I made the White Fang more renown than it has ever been before. In the future, if our paths ever cross again, it just may well be with me in a position of high power."

"If you know what is good for you, you'd know that it is unwise to make threats of enemies you cannot hope to defeat." Cinder shot back.

"I know," Adam said, still standing up to her. "I know what I said. Goodbye, contact me when it is time to make the announcement. I'll give you the best and only opening you're ever going to get."

"One is all I need." Cinder said, flashing one of her eyes with orange fire. "Now leave."

Adam nodded and turned away, leaving the room within seconds before Cinder could change her mind and slay the man where he stood. Two years ago Cinder wouldn't have dared to try and lord her power over him, but now things were different, and Adam was the one who always had to put on a strong face to stand up against her for his own kind. Anger and spite were all that drove him and he was destined to fall someday. When that day came, it may well be because of her own blade. Either that or… from a certain assassin.

"I'll tell Watts to work faster," Cinder told Tenne as she sat back down in an actual chair. "Tell your men to prepare themselves, and gather all the men that we have and set them in the key points across the city as we planned previously. The Vytal Festival is going to end faster than you think. Even though Tyrian was defeated, I refuse to believe that he went down without taking something away from him. We have time, plenty of time."

"As you say," Tenne agreed and went off to do as she was told.

Now alone, Cinder toyed the ideas in her mind. Old ideas, new ideas, and then mixed them together. She considered asking for more help, but that'd make her look bad to Salem and she couldn't have that.

"One thing at a time…" She told herself. "You are at the bottom of the list for right now darling… but in time, I will make sure to deal with you personally."

* * *

Marcus shifted uncomfortably in his uncomfortable metal chair with his uncomfortable metal cuffs that uncomfortably bound his hands to the top of a table and the straps around his legs and feet were uncomfortably tight. Needless to say, this seat that Ozpin and Ironwood were all too happy to give him didn't provide him with all that much comfort. He especially didn't like the fact that there were two armed guards behind him constantly aiming their weapons at him. It was annoying, if they wanted him dead he'd be dead already. Intimidation was not something that came easy to Marcus from other people, especially when it is completely unwarranted.

Well, he thinks that but he knew how other people were. All so mushy when it comes to their friends or allies being injured or killed. He understood that now to a certain extent after doing what he did to Tyrian after he killed Summer and Neo. But it didn't make it any less annoying.

"How long are you going to make me wait?" He asked out loud, not to the guards but to the sets of eyes that he knew was staring at his every movement from behind the one-way mirror. "Still shocked that I surrendered? Come on now, you know me. You should be used to it already, I am _full _of surprises after all!"

From behind the glass red eyes narrowed at him, as did a set of blue, a pair of dark blue, light brown and many others. All looking at the white-haired man still with literal dirt on his hands as he looked back at them through the mirror with that same cocky smirk on his face that Qrow utterly began to despise the longer he sat in that chair. It took all the restraint in the world for him to not go in there and wipe that smirk off his face with Harbinger, and clearly it was the same for Taiyang, who had even more reason to do so than he did. Honestly, if it weren't for him being there and restraining himself like he was now, he might have run in there and attacked him already.

"He is right, I suppose," Ozpin said without looking at any of his allies. "We've kept him locked in there for over twenty-four hours already. The second round of the tournament has already passed and we have hardly spent any amount of time outside of this room."

"What can we ask him what we don't already know?" Clover asked. "We know about Cinder and he already outed his organization. What use do we have for him?"

"Clover," Ironwood said in a warning tone. "I understand your frustration but if you let your personal feelings get in the way of potentially saving thousands of lives I will send you away like I did Winter."

Clover scowled but calmed down quickly. Winter surprised him with just how emotional she can get when it came to her sister potentially being in danger. After a hit was placed on Weiss' head, even when it was proven to be fake or taken down, she wanted to be the one to question him in a little one on one time. After trying to force her way past her own guards, she was sent back to her room with a squad of soldiers to make sure that she stays in her room until Ironwood came to go see her.

"Does Ruby and Yang know that we have him yet?" Taiyang asked out loud. He was almost afraid to bring up the question after what happened to their fourth teammate.

"I had Glynda inform them," Ozpin answered honestly. "They deserved to know and it wasn't like we would have been able to hide it from them anyway. Marcus created quite a ruckus when he came here with his accomplice and surrendered. The fourth-year students that came with us are unfortunately prone to gossip. Not to mention Peter…"

"Damn it," Qrow scoffed. "Knowing Ruby she'd want to try and talk to him again to ask some questions. Yang would want to punch his face in, and that Schnee girl would probably want to know how exactly they're distantly related." He sighed. "I told Winter it would be a bad idea to tell her that…"

"I hope they are intelligent enough to know that they will not be permitted to enter the room alone with this man anytime soon," Ozpin said as he stood up. "Well, let us not waste any more time. James, do you have the device?"

"I do," Ironwood replied as he moved his coat to the side so that Ozpin could see it.

"Good," Ozpin said as he took it from the generals offered hand. It wasn't anything dangerous but it would help them in the interrogation of the man they had in their custody. Ozpin walked out the first room and Ironwood followed, along with Qrow and Taiyang. He wouldn't try and stop them after the history that they shared with the man, it would be foolish to test their tempers after what happened. Clover was the last in as they all filed into Marcus' room. The moment they entered Marcus locked eyes with the headmaster, then did so with each of the other men that filed in after. His smile was still a constant, even as Qrow and Taiyang came in and _glared _at him with promised murder. But the headmaster caught his attention as he walked around to his side of the table and placed down the device he took from Ironwood earlier.

"Is this the part where I am secretly executed?" Marcus asked without a hint of fear in his voice.

"No," Ozpin said as he attached a series of polygraphs to Marcus' arms, then went under his shirt to stick a few more to his chest. "Not yet, at least. It all depends on how you answer these questions."

"Ah," Marcus realized what was going on as the man polygraph itself whirled to life. "A lie detector eh? And here I was preparing myself mentally for some of Ironwood's trademark 'Advanced Interrogation Tactics'."

"Believe me, Black, that was our first choice," Ironwood remarked as he sat down in a seat beside him. It appeared that he was going to be the one keeping track of what Marcus was saying and feeling to tell whether or not he was lying. "I need to test this." He growled out. "What is your name?"

"Samantha White," Marcus answered with an amused look on his face.

Ironwood shrugged his shoulders as the polygraph obviously told him that was a lie. "It works," He reported for the sake of everyone else.

Wordlessly Ozpin took the seat across from Marcus. To his right Qrow stood, glaring at him, and to his left Taiyang stood, also glaring at him. Clover, which Marcus recognized as the leader of the Ace Ops, stood off in the back, and you guessed it, also glaring at him. Marcus felt like a man who had done evil things when in reality he just did bad things for the sake of money. No one understood that though, so as far as they knew, he was the worst man they've ever met.

"I am going to ask you a series of questions," Ozpin said as he drew out a piece of paper and a pen. Marcus tried to read what it said but it was upside down and he was never a prodigy when it came to reading such text. "The lie detector will do what its name suggests. Please do not make this difficult Marcus. I am holding up hope that you surrendered because you have returned to your senses and out of respect for our past allegiance."

"You're not my teacher anymore Ozpin," Marcus said. The lie detector declared that he was telling the truth as he believed it. "You would be smart to not treat me like I'm still twenty years old and eager to learn."

"Hm," Ozpin nodded his head in agreement. "Very well. I shall speak to you on equal terms Marcus. Firstly, tell me, why did you return to Vale? That question is on everyone's mind and I just want to get it out of the way first."

"I wouldn't have returned if I had the choice," Marcus began. "I was totally content with staying in the forest and living with my wife and son. But, as you know the organization that we just helped each other destroy had other plans." No lies yet. Ironwood held up a thumb. "Cinder caught me at a vulnerable moment when I had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. And I wasn't in a state to refuse her. Also," He tried to move in his seat but couldn't get his arm up. Immediately, the armed guards behind him barked at him to sit still and moved closer to apprehend him only stopping when Ozpin raised a hand. Marcus eventually gave up and shook his head. "She put something in me, some kind of parasite that _she _can use to hurt me at any time. I can only imagine that there is a range distance, and that's why I haven't been killed yet for betraying her."

Ironwood held a thumbs up, nothing Marcus said was a lie.

"Thank you for your honesty," Ozpin said tensely as he wrote down what Marcus said to him. "If one of you has a question about recent events, ask it now."

"Why did Tyrian and Adam attack you?" Clover asked, still standing off in the background.

"What do you think?" Marcus scoffed. "I betrayed Cinder and she's probably terrified that I'll go after her. She had no one else that could ever hope to hunt me down and actually succeed in killing me. Of course, it didn't go so well for them since you're Ace Ops came in and spoiled the party. And Ozpin as well," He winked. "Can't forget about him."

"What happened to Tyrian then?" Ozpin asked, intertwining his hands together and leaning forward on the table with interest. "I saw your accomplice take you and Tyrian away right as I arrived. What happened after that? Surely you must have been victorious since you are sitting here right now."

"Tyrian's dead," Marcus said with a growl. The fact that Ironwood confirmed this to be the truth honestly shocked them all. Even Qrow and Taiyang didn't know what to say. One of their greatest enemies that worked directly under Salem was now dead. Just like that. And the deed was done by a man they never thought they'd ever see just a few months ago. "I killed him but it came at a price. That 'accomplice' you keep referring to is-... was Neo. She was my friend, and she died saving my life and gave me the chance to finish Tyrian off. So I did."

"That explains your sudden appearance in the Beacon graveyard…" Ozpin said as he shut his eyes. Offering a moment of respectful silence for that mysterious girl he was never really able to get a bead on. "I am sorry for your loss."

"Tch," Marcus looked like he wanted to snap back, but he bit his tongue and remained silent. Ozpin noticed that and made sure to write it down. Unknown to Marcus, he had his old records pulled out from his time in Beacon. Looking over his old behavioral issues and notes that an old student counselor had written down. The woman had long since retired, but she was the best at her job and did her job well. Even when it came to the mess that was Marcus' mind.

"What is Cinder's ultimate desire that she wants from this aforementioned plan of hers?" Ironwood asked next.

"That's a stupid question, you should already know the answer to that one."

"The maiden?" Ironwood guessed.

"Bingo." Marcus glanced at Qrow. "He should be able to confirm that. I was the one who helped Cinder take her down after all."

All eyes turned to Qrow, in which the old huntsman begrudgingly nodded his head. "He speaks the truth." He said.

"You are being surprisingly honest," Ozpin commented. "Why is that?"

"Well, as I said in that little Livestream I set up to get Emerald to confess to her crimes, I am going to stop Cinder one way or another." Marcus shrugged his shoulders the best that he could. "Taking this route with you lot happens to be the easiest way to get to that goal."

"You are having a change of heart?" Taiyang scoffed loudly, stepping forward and slamming his hands on the table between him and Marcus. "Now you decide that you want to come back all of a sudden? Now you want to do some good in the world? Where the fuck did this come from Marcus? Why now!?"

"Taiyang," Ozpin warned. "You know well that intimidation or guilt-tripping will not work on him."

"Well, I need my answers!" Taiyang screamed, his temper rising even more. Truly, he was Yang's father. His eyes burned red as his anger soared into the sky at increased levels. Ozpin couldn't blame him, not after everything that Marcus had done that impacted his life one way or another.

"Why did you do it, Marcus?" Taiyang asked, barely calming himself down enough so that he didn't lunge for the white-haired man and beat him to death. "She was your friend… she cared for you, and she was my wife and she had _two _daughters… Why did you take her away from me? Why did you kill Summer Rose?"

Marcus' answer was short and simple. He didn't even hesitate in his response.

"I didn't."

"What?" Taiyang narrowed his eyes at him, before looking to Ironwood.

Ironwood looked just as shocked as he was, he showed the graph to Taiyang and showed that Marcus was still telling the truth. It wasn't moving beyond the point at which the human body would react when it was telling a lie.

"What do you…" His confusion overpowered his anger and his eyes turned blue again. Qrow was taken aback as well. The same question seemingly haunted him as well for the past decade ever since Summer's death. They didn't know what to say, but eventually, Qrow was the one who recovered quickly enough to ask another follow-up question.

"If you didn't, then who?" Qrow asked quietly.

"A certain scorpion faunus we all know and love," Marcus answered just calmly. "Tyrian Callows. He snuck up on us while we were talking about the past, getting to know each other again. Summer was actually trying to convince me to come back." He chuckled bitterly as the memory flushed it's way back into his mind. "And it was working, she always had a way with words and she was more stubborn than a rock. She never backed down. I was distracted so I couldn't see him coming," He balled his hands into fists visibly as they were strapped to the table. "He injected his venom into her back before she was even able to get her aura up in time, and he ran off before I could attack him. I didn't chase him, and I was there with her in her final moments. Heh…" He shut his eyes, finally accepting what had happened and refusing to hide it within the conflict of his mind any longer. "She made me promise…"

"Stop," Taiyang uttered, Marcus didn't care to stop.

"To one day become good again. Just before she died, she willingly offered to give me her semblance. Hoping that it would help me down the line-"

"Stop!" Qrow shouted.

"Little did I know that it would work even better than I thought it would. I didn't just accept her aura, but a part of her soul." Marcus flashed his white aura, which shined even brighter than usual. Another thing that they had in common, he and Summer both had a white-colored aura. Only hers was much brighter than his ever was. "A part of her still lives within me."

"Marcus," Ozpin warned. "That's enough."

"Fine," Marcus rolled his eyes. "I thought you'd all be the first to want to know what happened the day she died. But you know the rest of the story and can figure out what else happened yourself."

"All this time… I thought you were the one who killed Summer." Taiyang said as he covered half of his face with his hand. "And now I find out that not only were you not the one who took her from me, but you were also the one who avenged her?" He looked to Ironwood, who nodded his head to his unasked question. Marcus did not speak a single lie the entire time.

"Surprise?" Marcus weakly cheered.

"It still doesn't change what you did to Ruby, Yang, and her team." Qrow pointed out. "As much as it pains me to say it, and I'm sure I can speak for Tai too. Thank you for avenging Summer. but you stole Ruby's semblance, incapacitated Yang and Weiss, and killed their last teammate. Not to mention everything else you've done ever since you've come back to Vale. That one good deed doesn't wash away everything else you've done."

"I know," Marcus replied. "And I never intended for that to be the case. The only reason I am here right now is that our goals align. Not because I want to _turn good _or whatever. Once Cinder is dealt with, you'll never see me again. I can promise that."

"Can you return the semblances you steal?" Clover asked as Qrow and Taiyang pulled back to speak amongst themselves. "I stopped you from stealing Harriets and to my knowledge you didn't steal anyone else's semblances recently. But that Ruby girl, can you give back to her what you stole?"

"I don't know," Marcus sighed heavily and leaned back. "I never tried. I was going to try with my son one day, but as you already know I never got the chance."

Ozpin sighed and shook his head. There went that idea. He wasn't about to go and send his only remaining silver-eyed warrior to have her semblance returned to her at the potential cost of her life. The matter of the soul is and forever will be a delicate matter. Marcus' semblance wasn't at all gentle when it came to stealing semblances and fragments of aura. It could very well bring drastic drawbacks that would outweigh the benefits of Ruby regaining her speed.

"That is enough for one session," Ozpin declared and stood up. Ironwood took that as his signal and started detaching the device from the man's body. The headmaster looked to Clover and the others and silently asked if they had any more questions, but none came forth with any even if they had. Too bad then, they'd have to wait until later. "Thank you for your compliance Marcus," He waved to the two guards, and they saluted the General and filed out of the room. "As a reward of sorts, I will at least grant you some immediate privacy."

"You'll forgive me if I claim that you're full of shit."

"I suppose I'll have too." Ozpin sighed through his nose and the other men started to leave the room. Only when it was just him and Marcus alone did he speak again. "What are your true goals, old friend?" Ozpin had to ask. "This is all very confusing. Just yesterday you were our worst enemy, and now here you are practically offering to become an ally albeit temporarily. What do you gain from this?"

Marcus shut his eyes and sighed through his nose. When he opened them again, he suddenly looked much older, Ozpin couldn't help but pity the man, despite everything he's done, he was once his student.

"I made a promise to Summer," Marcus replied simply. "That's all there is to it."

"Hm," Ozpin smirked and nodded his head, accepting the answer for what it was and shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Ruby watched as the headmaster left the room, leaving the man that had caused her and her team so much harm and sleepless nights. Not to mention the nightmares and unpleasing thoughts that constantly filled her mind any time she saw any sharp blades. Her sister, her partner, and her teammate Blake, all were affected by this man. And after listening in to everything just now it went even further back. Now he was trying to help them? She didn't know why the adults weren't trying to delve deeper into that, she didn't trust it, but apparently he was telling the truth the entire time?

"No," She whispered to herself quietly and waited for the right moment to sneak into his room. "It can't be, not after everything… I need to see him… I need to know for myself… the _real _truth."

Yang and Weiss would say it was a terrible idea or demand to go with her at the very least. But right now, Ruby didn't care. Marcus Black was in that room alone and unsupervised. He was strapped down and could barely move. He would be completely at _her _mercy.

She couldn't miss this chance or else it would haunt her forever.

As the headmaster turned his back to where she was hiding and she watched him, her uncle, her father, and those Atlesian men walk away, she waited for about half an hour just to be safe, and then she stepped out of her hiding spot and made her way toward the door.

She was trembling, seeing him again after all this time sent shivers up and down her spine. But it also was an empowering feeling. He couldn't hurt her anymore, neither could he to her friends.

And if he could, she'd make sure he never could again.

"Well," Marcus greeted her with wide eyes and a smug smirk. "It's been a while. Little Rose. What can I do for you?"

Ruby stood across from him with a blank glare in her silver eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked. "Who are you, and why shouldn't I kill you while you can't defend yourself?"

Marcus scoffed at her threat. It could use some work, she'd admit. But she wasn't lying. And he knew it. Not that it scared him, it annoyed her that he didn't even _look _intimidated by her threat.

"That's… going to be a long story, little Rose." Marcus said as he leaned forward in his shackled seat. "Sit down and I'll tell it, if you heard everything like I guess you did, I'll even tell you about the little cat girl that was with you at the docks."

Ruby froze and her sorrowful anger spiked. She bit it down with a forced growl that sounded more like a whimper and sat down in her seat. Not without placing Crescent Rose on the table and aiming its barrel at him, however.

Marcus smirked at the display. She reminded him of his mother already.

"Smart cookie."

* * *

**Incoming little Ruby becoming a badass moment. Gonna take a break the rest of this week, my head is pounding and I am going to be working a lot. Wish me luck!**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	34. Chapter 34

**Man, one would think that a quarantine would mean that I have more time to write. It sucks that my job counts as essential workers and while it's good that I am getting more hours because they can't do shit without me for some reason, it gets really draining sometimes. Oh well, the plan continues and I am to wrap up this story soon. The end is so near I can taste it. If all goes according to plan, this story should be over by or in chapter 40. Which isn't too far from the original plan I mentally made when I first started the story. **

**Also, I just noticed that I put two chapter 32's in the beginnings of the previous chapters. Which is fine, it doesn't really mess anything up since the chapters are two different written chapters. I just felt like pointing that out before I continue on with chapter 34.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 34**

* * *

_In the end, nothing really changed for the better. I turned myself in, went through the motions, but for the most part, I just sat there. Obeying, listening, until the right moment came. I wish I could say it was when Summer's kid walked in…_

"That's about it, really," Marcus said as he let out a deep breath. The part of the seat against his back was now warm and slightly wet with sweat because of the amount of time he'd just spent leaning against it. Over time, the straps all over his body began to get less and less annoying and restricting. Most likely that was the case because blood had stopped circulating and his sweat as loosened the grip friction had on the leather against his skin. "Nothing much else to say unless you want me to get more in detail."

"So you _did _use to go to Beacon," Ruby said a second later. "But then Mountain Glenn… Blake told us that was where she thought some of the White Fang was hiding. What did you do after that?"

"I did what I just told you already. I left." Marcus rolled his eyes. He started getting bored telling the same story over and over again. "Your mom and her teammates visited me a couple of times while I was recovering from losing my legs, but then my _dad _came in and well…" He clinked his metal toes against the ground. "I got these."

"You said that you left a note before you left." Ruby pointed out.

"I did." Marcus nodded.

"What did it say?"

"I told Summer and them that I was an assassin the entire time," Marcus easily explained. There wasn't any real point in hiding it anymore. Qrow knew it, Tai knew it, Ozpin knew it and he could bet that Ironwood and all of his Specialists knew it too. It wasn't much of a secret anymore. "I don't remember it word for word, but apparently it was enough for your mom to think that there was still hope for me."

"I'm not sure about that…" Ruby muttered. "And she ended up finding you."

"After about a decade or so, yeah," Marcus said. Choosing to ignore her earlier snapback. "I still don't know how she managed it. I had the best technology in the world that basically made me a ghost to any radar equipment and scroll signals. I was in the asshole of Vale near the outskirts deep beyond a dense forest that made it even harder for signals to breakthrough, and I was in a town that was basically all assassins." He scoffed. "If she weren't a huntress, she probably wouldn't have even been let into the town."

"She died after finding you…" Ruby said, ignoring the latter half of his answer as she delved into the darker morbid thoughts in her mind. She was angry, vengeful. Marcus was able to see it written all over her face. Like her mother before her, she wasn't very subtle with emotions and with his training, he could tell what a person was feeling just by looking at their face. Ruby, was trying very hard to not pull the trigger of her weapon. Depending on the caliber, it would just bounce off his aura. But with him strapped down unable to move or defend himself, she could easily just keep firing her gun until his aura broke and kill him.

"She went on to find her friend who did so many evil things and tried to make him good again despite everything that happened. The world called for your head and she went to try and _help _you." Her voice cracked as tears started to fall from her eyes. Marcus remained silent. One wrong word or one wrong phrase, and he was dead. "Why does that sound just like her? She was always so cool…" She laughed sadly. "Always helping us no matter what when she was home, always playing with us. She had enough energy for both me and Yang together when dad couldn't and she loved us. When I told her I wanted to be a huntress, she immediately got Qrow to help teach me since he became a teacher at Signal. She was so nice… funny… good-hearted… I hate to say it, but it makes sense."

She would have done the same thing, she didn't say.

"When she was dying, what did she say?" Ruby asked him at last. "Did she curse you for letting her die? Did she try and see if you were okay? Did she ask you to go after the man that killed her? Well, tell me!"

Marcus hesitated for a moment. Ruby paused when she looked into his eyes. So dark, so tired. Just like before, but now they were full of emotion. It was barely noticeable and if she wasn't looking for it she wouldn't have found it. But he looked sad.

"She told me that she loved me and that I was her best friend," Marcus said slowly. "Then she made me promise to one day become good again. Before she died, she gave me her semblance," Only visible to Marcus, he took a side-long glance to the one-way mirror. The specter of Summer was visible, standing at the side of the table between him and Ruby and looking down at her daughter. She was smiling, proud of what her little girl had become. "I didn't steal it," Marcus continued quickly after seeing Ruby's glare. "She offered it to me since she was going to die anyway, and I took it because I had no real reason to deny it. But… now she lives within me."

Ruby's eyes widened with shock. "W-What?"

Marcus waited for a moment, almost like he was waiting for someone else to pipe up.

"She wants you to know that she loves you and that she is so proud of the girl you have become."

"S-stop it…" Ruby begged.

"She wants you to take care of your sister Yang, and help her find her birth mother one day because you know that she is going to look for her one day. She also keeps flooding these memories in my head, memories of when she held you in her arms while she played with you. Somewhere around when you were three or four years old." Marcus smiled fondly as if he was remembering something that he was actually there for. In this case, he was hundreds of miles away when this happened. "You always used to wrap your pinky finger around hers. Your first words were actually 'Pinky Promise!' because Summer always made one every time she went out on a mission, you caught onto it like the excitable little girl you were."

"Stop it!" Ruby shrieked, standing up from her seat so violently that she sent it flying back into the door behind her and picked up Crescent Rose and transformed it into its scythe form. Threateningly, she placed the blade on the back of Marcus' neck. "H-how do you know that? Shut up! Stop talking, o-or else I'll kill you like you did Blake!"

Marcus grinned at her and _leaned _into the blade behind his neck. Ruby widened her eyes and instinctively pushed it away from his vital point as to not actually cut him. She realized her mistake immediately but her hands shook as she tried to bring the blade back up.

"Nope," Marcus replied. "You're like your mother. Too much like your mother honestly. Which means that you're not going to kill me. You don't have the guts for it, and somewhere deep inside that little head of yours, you still want to hold up hope for people, don't you? Because there's good in _everybody_… also because you're starting to believe that your mom really is a part of me and you don't want to lose it for the life of you."

"You're lying… you're lying… you have to be." Ruby trembled.

Marcus looked at her with a pitying gaze. "I haven't lied since I got here, Little Rose. I made a promise and I aim to keep it. My only regret is that it took this long for me to actually start caring again."

The blade pushed up against his neck again. "You killed Blake." Ruby's eyes flared. "Did you start caring before or after you shot her in the heart?"

"After," Marcus answered honestly. "I was having second thoughts before, but I really only started after the train crash and ambush."

"Do you regret _that_?" Ruby asked dangerously. "Do you regret killing her? She was my teammate, my _friend_, I might have not known her as well as I wanted to, but she was still my friend. Why?" She asked brokenly, her hands began to shake again as the adrenaline began to fade. "Why did you do that?"

Marcus closed his eyes and sighed. "It was on instinct." He said. "I was going to let her live, I really was. I kept hearing voices screaming at me to stop and for once I actually listened to them. I stole her semblance, her aura was broken, and she was defeated and could barely lift herself off the ground. I was walking away with a gunshot wound in my shoulder after letting my guard down once. I didn't let it down again."

"She shot me in the back of my head but I kept my aura up so all it did was rock me a little. After that… her fate was sealed. Before I knew it, my body moved and I turned around and shot her." Marcus explained. "I… all that training… all the _torture_ just abused my muscle memory."

"You… didn't mean to?" Ruby asked, eyes shaking.

"I didn't mean too." Marcus looked into her eyes and nodded his head. "And… I'm sorry, for taking her from you. If I could go back, I would have tried to shoot her hands or jump out the window instead but… I am sorry."

Ruby finally broke down after trying her best to death glare him for the next thirty seconds or so. She shifted Crescent Rose down into its holstered state and dropped down at her knees right in front of him. Marcus looked down at her, and the Summer part of him screamed at him to hug her, but he couldn't do that while strapped to a chair and probably wouldn't even if he wasn't. All he could do was look down at her. Very rarely did her apologize for anything, this was the first time in decades the words even came out of his mouth. But he did mean it.

Blake's voice was one of the loudest in his head ever since he killed and stole her semblance. But now she was quiet. Not forgiving him, but understanding. She went through similar yet not nearly as brutal training as he did. But after being in his mind for weeks now she was able to see his memories once he opened them back up to them again. After this moment, she was the most silent he's ever recounted. It was the closest to forgiveness he was going to get, and he would take it while he could.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Ruby asked as she cried in front of him. "Why did you make me want to help you at first, then make me afraid of you, then _hate _you, only for me to start feeling bad for you? Why are you making me want to forgive you when I came here with the _intention to kill_ _you_? I don't understand this at all… I don't understand… Why…?"

Marcus snickered. "Yeah… I have that effect on people. Sorry about that."

Ruby laughed hysterically as she used the table to help her get back up on her feet. She did her best to wipe her eyes and nose of the fluids that leaked from them but she couldn't get all of it. Her tearstained face pulled at his heartstrings, and for some reason, he recounted one of the first times he saw her all those months ago. Roman and a few of his goons went to go rob a store, things went to shit, and he had a chance to severely injure her when Roman through that dust crystal at her.

That was when it all really started. Right there in that moment when Marcus made the decision to shoot the crystal earlier than he could have and spare Ruby and himself the pain. Everything started with her. Well, _both _of them. Summer and Ruby. Without them and Roman and Neo, none of this would have been possible and he'd still be helping Cinder and Emerald takedown Beacon.

"I'm not going to forgive you," Ruby said as she wiped at her eyes and placed Crescent Rose behind her back again. "But… I also can't hate you. Not after you apologized for Blake, helped us, and avenged my mother's death. I just can't bring myself to hate you anymore."

"But you're still scared of me?" Marcus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope," Ruby surprised him with her answer. "How can I be afraid of you when I know you won't hurt me?" She smugly asked.

"Hah," Marcus shut his eyes and laughed. "You really are just like your mother."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ruby said as she turned away from him and awkwardly picked up the chair she threw back earlier and stood it back up on its feet. Then she made her way back to the exit of the room. "Keep helping us, please. Don't make me regret this."

"Pinky promise," Marcus replied and just barely managed to get his pinky up high enough to make what he was trying to do noticeable.

Ruby shook her head and stepped out of the room. Making sure to lock it behind her and run away as fast as she could the moment she heard footsteps coming from behind her.

Marcus relaxed and slumped his head against the table. Damn his stupid semblance, making ghosts come out and making him remember things. How is it that he was so tortured by those voices constantly telling him to kill himself or lose a fight and now he was just being annoyed by how most of them were silent or now cheering for him? Ugh, he hated his semblance sometimes. He didn't care how useful it was or how many times it saved his ass. He didn't want it anymore. Was it possible for him to steal his own semblance and lock it away? Probably not.

Not that he'd have a choice, or that he'd give it away if he had the chance. He still needed it now, and soon. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel it.

Something big as coming, and he was going to have to use it again soon.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up." He said out loud as he shut his eyes and sighed through his nose again. He might as well get some sleep while he could. He doubted that he had a lot of time, Ozpin and his possie were going to wake up early and come back soon.

That, or Cinder. Last he checked the Vytal Festival was just getting into its doubles round. Which means it should just be ending or getting into the finals.

And well… he would cooperate as long as he needs to. But he was a master assassin for many good reasons, it wasn't like silly leather straps and a metal chair would hold him down forever.

* * *

"You did what!?" Weiss and Yang shrieked at the same time as Ruby hung her head more tightly to her chest in shame. "Please tell me I didn't just hear what I heard," Yang begged. "Please?"

"No…" Ruby whimpered out. "I went to go see him… I couldn't just not! I had to get some closure, something!" She tried to explain.

"So you snuck out to go see the man that tore apart our team? Killed Blake?" Yang's eyes went red with anger. "What the fuck Ruby? And you didn't even bother to tell us about this little stunt of yours. What were you thinking? What if you got hurt!?"

"He was strapped in a chair!" Ruby wailed.

"He is a master assassin Ruby!" Weiss pointed out. "How long do you think that chair is going to be able to hold him!? Seriously, I can't believe that you'd go out and do this. Without telling us was one thing, actually going through with it and putting yourself _alone in a room _with that man for who knows how long is another. This is serious Ruby, I am going to tell the headmaster about this."

"Wait, no!" Ruby lunged out and grabbed Weiss' hand. "Please Weiss, just listen to me. I found out how his semblance worked! I heard him talking about it with Ozpin and General Ironwood!"

"Well?" Yang raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Silently demanding for her to let go of Weiss and sit back down. The big sister rank pull was effective, making Ruby sit back down on Weiss' bed with a sad indignant pout on her face. Now that Ruby got this far she didn't know how to say it. It was incredible and unbelievable and she wouldn't have believed him if it weren't for the lie detector dictating that he was telling the truth the entire time. Some way somehow, her mother Summer Rose lived on within him, as did Blake and countless others that he stole the semblance of over the course of his life. It was like magic, but then again, if she was able to move at the speed of sound, whos the say someone wouldn't be able to wield a semblance that could steal others or take a part of their soul and live on with it? It was confusing, but it was the truth. The _real _truth.

"He said that his semblance doesn't just take away other people's semblances, it also takes away a part of their soul. Think about it, if other people's soul lives within him, then Blake lives on with him too!"

Weiss and Yang were shocked at the revelation, but it quickly faded and they closed their eyes and sighed. The initial shock by no means meant that they believed her. "Ruby…" Yang said quietly and shook her head.

"It's true!" Ruby stamped the carpet with her boot.

"How could you possibly know that?" Weiss countered.

"Ozpin and the General put him on a lie detector, while I was listening in it didn't go off at all!"

"Lie detectors aren't perfect, Ruby." Yang pointed out. "He was probably trained to talk through them somehow. Remember, this guy is tough shit and smart too. He could probably say that he's a woman and it wouldn't have gone off."

"He said his name was Samantha and it went off." Ruby crossed her arms and frowned at her two teammates. She knew that they'd be upset with her over this. Honestly, she was too. But she knows its the truth, only her mother would know what he told her! It was _their _little secret after all. Unless she told him right before she was going to die, it would have been impossible. "I didn't believe it at first, but I guess you had to be there."

"Was Dad and Uncle Qrow there?" Yang asked.

Ruby nodded her head.

"If I asked them, would they tell me?"

"I don't know." Ruby shrugged her shoulders helplessly and did her best to answer honestly. "Probably not, I doubt that the headmaster would be okay with it and everything that happened between us and he wouldn't give them any reason to let us in on what's happening. They had to send your sister away," She told Weiss, who widened her eyes with shock. "She was angry because of what happened to you, and that guy Clover whos the leader of the Ace Ops was barely able to stay himself. They need him to be alive and cooperative, and right now he is doing just that."

"I can't deal with this right now…" Yang said as she rubbed her temples. "We just got back from watching Pyrrha and Nora destroy the other team in the doubles, and its always something."

"We can talk about it later," Weiss offered. "We all just woke up and the Vytal Festival is just getting into its finals now. Let's just enjoy today and talk about it after dinner, please."

"Fine," Yang said, snarling quietly underneath her breath. "But when we do I want Dad and Uncle Qrow to be here with us. That's my condition if we don't let Weiss tell the headmaster and place a damn curfew on you so you don't go out and talk with world-class wanted criminals."

"Fine," Ruby scowled at her sister and turned her chin up at her.

Weiss looked at the two of them and pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed. Just when things started to get better things just started to get out of control all over again. Its been like a roller coaster that constantly had its ups and downs. At the beginning of the semester, they were at the highest point in their lives. They just got into Beacon, passed initiation, flying colors in almost every class as a team. Then Blake had her episode and ran off to the docks, Ruby lost her semblance, she lost her weapon and Yang got a concussion. Once things started to get better again, Blake was killed on the night of the dance and everything went downhill again. Then as things started getting better again and Marcus Black, the man that had started all of the first downhill drops, surrendered. Only for him to be a lot more complicated than they all originally thought.

If she had it her way she'd go straight to Ozpin and tell him about her leader's very unprofessional and reckless move. But out of respect for her teammates, she was going to hold off on that for now. The sisters seemed to both be willing to talk this over, and she was as well in all honesty. She truly was curious about what information Ruby managed to acquire, even if it was a very risky and reckless way of getting it.

She sighed mentally. Oh well, she never thought her first year at Beacon would turn out like this. But there wasn't much she could do about it anymore. All she could do was ride it out and hope that next year would turn out better.

* * *

"Find anything else out?" Ironwood asked the moment Ozpin entered his office.

"Nothing that we don't already know," Ozpin said with a sigh as he took the seat across Ironwoods. "He says that Cinder is working with Adam Taurus and the White Fang and using the Valean gangs to fulfill her own wishes. All of that we already knew after some minor investigation done by star detective Seth, Mackie, and Verdant of the Vale Police and Defence Force."

"Promote that man once this is all over with," Ironwood suggested.

"Believe me, he is guaranteed to be the captain of his own unit away from the precinct itself. I might even give him a huntsman license whether he accepts it or not." Ozpin said with a slight chuckle. "But no, despite our desperate efforts to capture him, it seems he only knows just a little more than we do. I was only able to get him to go into detail about how he and Cinder and Emerald defeated Amber and stole part of her power, and warned us that we should put her under tighter wraps."

"We should transfer her power to one of your students already," Ironwood said with a low growl. "Any day now Cinder is going to make her move and right now Amber is completely vulnerable. It is safe to suspect that Cinder may already know of her location, and so she knows where to strike and also knows _when _to ensure that she gets the best possible outcome. Has this Nikos girl gotten back to you yet?"

"Short conversations and questions here and there…"

"Then it is time to make the hard decision." Ironwood looked down as he said it, clearly slapping himself mentally. But he stayed strong. It was one of the major reasons why Ozpin eagerly recruited him as an ally. When the time came, James Ironwood was number one on the list to make difficult choices. "We have two options. Force Nikos into the machine and give her the power, or choose a different girl and tell them to make the decision immediately."

"Neither are particularly ideal options…"

"We are out of time Ozpin!" Ironwood screamed as she slammed his robotic fist into his desk, shattering it into pieces. "Cinder is coming and if we don't act _today_ then we are going to have to deal with another fallen maiden! Do you remember how difficult it was to defeat the last fall maiden that turned against us and worked for Salem? Do you?"

Ozpin narrowed his eyes at the General. "More so than you may think, James. I remember all of the names of the fallen."

"Remembering them is not enough. My entire unit, Ozpin. You and I were the only survivors and only just barely!" Forcing himself to calm down, James took a deep breath and leaned back into his chair. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

"It is quite alright," Ozpin said with a dismissive wave. "I understand your pain, James. Time and time again I lived and fought alongside friends and loved ones. Mistake after mistake, I am forced to remember each and every one of them for the rest of time until Salem is defeated."

James' eyes took a pitying take on the old headmaster. He never forgot it, but it always was unbelievable to think about. Thousands of years of constant mistakes and constantly failed strategies put against Salem and hundreds of failures. James couldn't imagine it, the man before him was more willed and determined than he ever could be. He didn't know if he could do the same if he were put in Ozpin's position. And he never wants to even test it.

"I sometimes forget that," Ironwood admitted. "Well, I am sorry about that again. But my statement stands. We cannot afford another enemy maiden."

"We _do _have someone capable of defeating a maiden…" Ozpin put the idea out there and it lingered uncomfortably in the back of Ironwood's mind. Drawing forth a winced grin on Ironwood's face.

"Ozpin… no, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Who else but him?" Ozpin asked. "He has proven cooperative and hasn't told a single lie since he got here. And if anyone would be able to defeat a maiden on their own it would be Marcus Black."

"Yes but you are asking me to allow a known master assassin to go back out there into the world and hunt down young women. After reading his report, I doubt he'd ever accept it. It'd be like trading one master for another and he keeps going on about his freedom." Ironwood shook his head. "We shall save that conversation for another time. For right now, we must decide who will become the new fall maiden."

"Allow me to talk to Miss Nikos," Ozpin said finally. "After this next fight in the tournament, I will do my best to convince her into becoming the maiden. If she says no, then I shall take the best of the second-year students. Velvet Scarlatina. She is a rabbit faunus and she will do what she thinks is best if it means protecting her friends and innocents."

"There we have it then," Ironwood nodded his head and quietly let out a sigh of relief. "I'll try and get my Ace Ops back in action in the meantime. I have a feeling that we are going to need them again soon, and it is not good for public opinion if the best of the best huntsmen and huntresses in Atlas are incapacitated for an extended unknown period of time."

"I trust that your doctors will see to that well enough. I hear you already have a new arm being built for Elm. Is that true?"

"Off the record? Yes. Officially? She never lost it."

"Hah," Ozpin chuckled. "Well, how about that."

* * *

Penny stretched her limbs out to her sides and made it sound like she actually needed to stretch. In reality, nothing inside her body moved and she was just swinging her arms around in what might look like a ballistic stretch. Her partner, Ciel, looked absolutely aghast at the sight.

"You don't need to stretch, you do know that, right?" Ciel asked her.

"Of course I do partner Ciel," Penny replied happily and flexed one of her arms. "I am simply doing so for the purpose of putting on the perfect guise that I am in fact a perfectly normal girl."

"I… okay." Taking a step away from her, Ciel sighed and her face flushed ever so slightly. She was clearly not entirely comfortable standing next to her. "Just be sure that you don't lose, it would be an embarrassment to Atlas."

"Of course, partner." Penny put up a thumbs-up gesture. "No need to worry, for I am combat ready!"

Ciel shut her eyes and sighed silently and chose to ignore the entire second half of that sentence.

Penny went on to continue her _stretching._ She was severely damaged after her battle with Marcus Black during that ambush, so it took quite some time for her to be repaired enough to be sent out into the world. It was quite the task, she heard. She was missing an arm, her core was damaged, and her cerebral cortex frame was loose. But she was still functional, amazingly enough.

She was taken out of the list of operatives to partake in any more actions against Marcus Black after that, which was fine for her. She didn't feel any pain, but she did not like losing limbs. So she was okay with it. And now she got to the final round of the tournament! Truly, it was the most sensational experience of her life. Once she wins this final round, all she had to do was show up to a reward ceremony and that was it!

All she had to do was win, that was easy!

She was combat-ready after all!

* * *

**Yeah… easy. We'll see about that cute ginger robot girl.**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 already? Its almost like I've been having a lot more time on my hands recently. I remember just over a month ago we were probably still in the tens of chapters. Oh well, my plan to finish this story soon is coming into fruition. Here we go.**

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**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 35**

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_Tick Tock Tick Tock… time kept running out and none of us knew when shit was going to finally start hitting the fan. Well… we didn't have to wait for too long…_

"Hazzah! For our first contestant for the first round of the finals for this tournament, we have Penny Polendina! Whom I've heard is Atlas' fastest rising star" Peter Port announced boisterously over the microphone thousands heard his voice just in the coliseum as did millions all around Remnant.

Penny bounced up and down with excitement, she was going to be in the first round of the finals! Unlike most of her other colleagues who stood all around her in a mixture of nervous excitement and self-doubt with a large sprinkle of confidence and desire for glory. She just couldn't wait to start her battle for the entertainment of others! It was going to be _so _much fun. Was Ruby and her other friends watching? Was Ciel watching even though she has made it abundantly clear that she does not care for a friendship with her and is being forced to work with her because they were selected as partners? She certainly hoped so, even for Ciel. They were partners, and like friend Jaune often said; strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.

She stared up at the screen and looked out to her sides at great speed. Wanting to see who her opponent was going to be. There were many people she did not recognize. Other students from Shade, Haven, Beacon and of course Atlas but there were a few which she did recognize. Coco Adel for instance, after defeating Cardin and Dove in the duo's round with Fox Alistair she was naturally chosen to continue into the singles and finals rounds. Other than her, however, she couldn't quite place the names of the others. She would have liked to know them all better, but after what happened to her in that failed ambush she was ordered to keep to herself and her partner.

The rolling panel spun downwards more and more beside a portrait of her own face. She began to feel the odd sensation of nervousness and eagerness. Her next opponent was bound to be a difficult one surely.

"Now let's see who our next contestant is going to be…" Professor Port announced as the dial began to slow down dramatically.

The dial stopped, and on the front, a picture of a girl with brown hair, sunglasses, and a beret was seen. Coco cheered excitedly somewhere down the line, apparently excited to have been chosen.

"Coco Adel!" Port exclaimed to the crowd. "A second-year student from Beacon and socially considered to be one of the best! Let us see if she can bring it home for Vale!"

"Peter, we aren't allowed to pick sides." Doctor Oobleck pointed out.

"Ah, bugger that. We have the home field advantage!"

The crowd roared their approval and laughed at that. All the while the contestants that would be saved for later rounds filed off to the sides to await the next round. All until it was just Penny and her opponent standing in the middle of the massive arena. There wasn't going to be any elemental stages here. It was just going to be a battle of raw skill and power. Penny ran through her memories of who Coco Adel was and how she fought. It was popularly known among the student body of what Coco's odd choice of weapon was. A purse that could transform into a large M134 7.62x51mm six barreled customized and painted portable machine gun capable of firing twenty-five-hundred rounds per minute. A strong and powerful weapon to be primarily used against large crowds of Grimm or larger and more robust creatures. Against people was another story, where the can dodge and use their aura and weapons to deflect bullets Coco, of course, had to adapt to that. Without a doubt, she was just as good up close and personal as she was at longer ranges.

Her own set of skills would be useful against Coco's. She could use her many swords to deflect and help with speed and mobility. She could close in the distance quickly and render Coco's massive weapon useless to force her to shift the weapon back into its purse form. Which had to be very heavy and dense and could cause a lot of damage if she was struck by it. Luckily for her, she was designed to be a huntress, and so she naturally had the experience of one. Coco would be a tough opponent, but not an unbeatable one.

"Are you done analyzing me ginger-head?" Coco teased as she leaned on one hip.

Penny snapped out of it and looked away, giggling nervously. "Analyzing? Of course not, I was mere um…" What was it that the other girls liked to talk about? Oh, right! "Checking you out!"

"That so?" Coco laughed.

Penny nodded her head and hiccuped.

"Hah! Well, you're a younger one but I might be able to oversee that if you turn around and walk off the stage."

"No ma'am!" Penny said as she pushed her fists into her hips and stood against her with a powerful pose. "I must, as they say, bring this home to Atlas!"

"Well, a girl had to try." Coco sighed dramatically as she leaned one foot back and prepared to fight. "Let's see what you can do ginger-head. I've heard a lot about you, you better not disappoint."

"I shan't! For I am combat ready- ready- ready- ready- _KHHHHHH-_" Penny twitched and one of her eyes looked a different direction than the others. Coco watched with a worried look on her face and took a step forward like she was ready to help her would-be opponent just in case they were having some kind of stroke. But just as fast as the sudden 'attack' came, Penny shook her head and stared at her. This time with a much more of a glare than before.

"I am combat-ready," Penny said robotically, her green eyes flickering brightly as her aura flared and a dozen swords flying out of her back as she waited for the countdown.

"Hm, that was strange," Coco remarked as she took up a stance again. "You okay over there?"

"..." Penny didn't respond. She only stared.

Coco scratched her head but ultimately shrugged her shoulders. People were weird, that was for sure.

Professor Port started a countdown from ten and slowly got down to zero. As soon as he was finished, Penny flew at her with a flurry of swords and green energy. Coco had almost no time to defend herself as the battle started immediately.

* * *

"Say…" Weiss began, narrowing her eyes at the sight of Coco having a terrible time trying to keep Penny back as the android girl constantly attacked her over and over again with her dozens of flying weapons. "Doesn't Penny seem a little different to you guys?"

"What do you mean? This is one of the final rounds of the tournament." Yang said. "I would have held back my everything until the last round too, it's a little weird for Penny to do it, but I'm not too surprised by this."

"No, Weiss is right." Ruby piped in. "Usually when Penny fights she is always talking and bubbling. Kinda like Nora, who always teases and taunts as she fights. Right now she isn't saying anything, and her expression is… worrying." She didn't look like she was fighting for fun and glory like everyone else was. Ruby didn't know how to explain it, but it looked like Penny was fighting a Grimm rather than a human. "You guys have seen her fight before, this isn't anything like that!"

"I…" Yang sighed. "Yeah, you got me there. I don't know what is going through her head right now, but this is the hardest I've ever seen her fight."

"Now that I think about it, how long has it been since we've last seen her before the tournament? I know we met her when we were spending time together in Vale, and then, later on, she helped us with the docks. But after that, I don't really remember much about her."

"I bumped into her a couple of times after that," Ruby admitted. "We became quick friends, even if she's a bit goofy at times." Like she was one to talk, Weiss and Yang didn't say. "But one day she just disappeared and I didn't see her for a few weeks ever since the dance and what happened to Blake. I would have tried, but I just…"

"It's fine, none of use was particularly social around that time," Yang said, patting her on the shoulder to show her support as any big sister would.

"Thanks," Ruby gave her sister a thankful smile. "Anyway, I didn't see her until the tournament started again. But besides her wearing new clothes, there wasn't much else that I thought was different about her. She said she was sorry for Blake and we hugged and hung out for a bit, but her partner from Atlas came to pick her up right when she said that she wanted to tell me something important."

"A secret?" Yang guessed.

"I think," Ruby shrugged. "I don't know, she never got the chance to tell me and once the tournament started we never really had a lot of time to talk. Her partner kept making her train or something. But she said that it was a secret her father told her to never tell anyone until she could absolutely trust them."

"Sounds juicy," Yang smirked. "You think she was going to tell you she had a crush on ya?"

"Yang!" Ruby squealed.

"Teasing, teasing." Yang ruffled her hair and sat back in her seat. "But yeah, I can see how that might be a bit of an issue now. Since whatever that secret was it seems to be eating away at her all of a sudden."

"I hope it doesn't make her lose the match…"

Weiss scoffed. "If anything it may help her win the match faster, look at the aura gauges." The other girls did and they winced for their good friend Coco when they noticed that her aura was already in the yellow whereas Penny's was still healthy in the green in the high nineties. Throughout the entire fight, if it even could be called one with how dominant Penny was currently being. Watching the fight again showed how desperately Coco batted away Penny's swords while backpedaling at an angle to be careful of the edge of the arena. She was barely given enough time to transform her weapon into its minigun form but as soon as she did she had to transform it back as Penny launched herself back at her by using her swords as a sort of slingshot. Coco had to shift her weapon back and bat away at her swords again, though, for every six that she deflected, another two or three landed blows and strikes and slashes against her body.

She was beyond struggling, it wasn't even a fight. Yet the crowd cheered excitedly every time she got thrown back and 'ooed' as she batted away swords, and cheered louder every time Penny pulled off a flashy yet dangerous move.

"Coco is getting demolished," Yang stated matter of factly.

"Yeah…" Ruby sighed, uncomfortable.

* * *

"My my, Coco Adel is really having trouble with her opponent!" Peter Port covered the microphone and whispered to his colleague. "Bart, we can stop the match if we need to, correct?"

"We can," Oobleck replied, also covering his own microphone so that his voice wouldn't be broadcasted. "Most likely Penny will not go too far if she doesn't need to. But when Coco Adel's aura gets into the red, we will stop the match. Anything more than that could and would potentially severely injure our student."

"Ah, good." Peter wiped away the sweat from his mustache. "I wonder how she could make a come back!" The professor continued announcing. Beside him, Bart was getting ready to stop the match. The crowd didn't even know what was happening, they only cared about the show that was being put on for them. It was a shame really, anything could go wrong and one of those girls could potentially lose their life on national television. They just didn't want to think about that terrible outcome, and he understood that, really, he did. But still, he worried about not just Coco but for the other girl as well. This wasn't at all like her, he's seen her fight and has had the pleasure of having her in his class a few times. She was always so excited and bubbly… he wondered what could have happened here.

* * *

Ozpin narrowed his eyes as he watched the match on his own personal computer screen. It was interesting to see, something was off with the girl clearly. He knew that there was something special about her since Ironwood specifically asked him to allow her into the school many weeks before the actual tournament was going to begin. Something was special about her, and not just because of her quite inhuman biology. She did stand up against Marcus for a good amount of time, so he suspected that his own student Coco wouldn't stand much of a chance against her. But he had to admit that something had to be going on here. Ironwood promised him that it wouldn't be possible for anything like _that _to happen to the gynoid, and he believed him, he really did.

Coco was drenched with sweat and barely hanging in there now. Her brown-yellow aura flared every time she was hit. And only once was she ever able to land a counter-attack. If this kept going on, she would surely lose. The only way she could win now was to somehow get Penny to launch herself or force her over the edge. But even then, he knew that there was something that Penny had yet to do just yet. She was still holding back, which was what made Ozpin still comfortable with letting the battle go on. As if he could do anything about it anyway, he wasn't there and so he'd have to rely on the judgment of Bart and Peter to make the call to stop the match. Beacon's hurt reputation aside, it would be worth it to assure the safety of their students.

It was a good show at least. This should be a good lesson for Coco, although her weapon is indeed powerful at mid to long ranges. It is proven here that up close against a faster opponent who can dodge and deflect her bullets and close the distance renders the weapon practically useless. Along with the added weight, even swinging her purse around would cause her to get tired quickly. It was fine to have such an extreme weapon against large crowds, but in big open areas of space like the arena she was fighting on now with a human opponent she was at a clear disadvantage.

He would have offered her that advice if he could, but instead, he'd pass it on to Glynda in a message. She would be more capable to help her than he ever could be while he was in his current position. Being a headmaster was tiring and exhausting work which took up a lot of time after all.

He watched the screen and sipped at his coffee mug as he continued watching the battle unfold. Penny was clearly the more dominant fighter, but Coco was an adapter. She realized the huge disadvantage that her weapon had in this fight, and so she gave up on trying to switch to its miniguns form. Instead, she committed herself fully to trying to push Penny back and stop her momentum. This seemed to surprise the gynoid, who found herself not having to push forward anymore and instead grounded herself as Coco reached her hands and purse up into the air and slammed her purse down on her swords. Using the weight and density of her weapon for her own benefit, Coco was actually able to break one of Penny's swords and land her first big hit.

Penny staggered back but did not fall. Shocking the crowd and making him chuckle. He doubted that it could be heard, but he imagined a loud metal clanging sound as Coco slammed her purse into Penny's head. Penny looked back at the girl, her aura down by a few percentage points, and scowled at her. She said something that Ozpin couldn't hear through the speakers, but whatever she said had Coco widening her eyes for some reason.

Their next encounter was going to be their last, he figured. That was the only explanation he could think of, anyway.

His eyes swiveled to the side as the door to the stairs leading up to his office burst open and in a flurry of yellow lightning, a very tired and frantic looking Harriet Bree stared at him. Her mouth opened before he could even demand an explanation.

"Stop the match!" Harriet exclaimed.

"Stop the match?" Ozpin inquired. His eyes narrowed. "Why? What's wrong? And should you still be in bed?"

"Screw that, you have to stop the match, Penny has been hacked!" Harriet shouted. "I don't know how or what or why but she's been hacked and if you don't stop the match than that girl is going to get killed!"

"What," Ozpin said dangerously. But ultimately stood up with a scowl and hurried toward the elevator. "Tell Ironwood that after this is dealt with, I will be having words-"

"O-oh… fuck…" Harriet said, not looking at him as she covered her mouth with her hands, eyes wide and shaking and face going pale. Given that she had a darker skin tone, that didn't mean anything good.

Ozpin looked to where she was looking and his eyes widened, he dropped his mug and didn't even react as the ceramic shattered on the floor of his office. On the screen of his computer in his office had a transparent monitor and on it was…

Coco Adel with a dozen swords stabbed into her arms, legs, and torso. With one more slowly slicing into her neck.

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"My lord!" Peter screamed over the intercoms. "Guards! Stop the match! Stop the match and apprehend her!"

Atlesian soldiers who were charged with keeping the peace just in case anything broke out rushed into the arena. It was much too late to actually stop the damage since it was already done. Coco ran out of breath from screaming and she passed out. The damage to her body was beyond severe. Geysers of blood spewed from her many impalement wounds, and she was dropped to the ground with a slit throat. Most likely, she was already taking her final breath by the time the guards went on to surround Penny.

The crowd was shocked and screaming in horror. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss were aghast and screaming out of terror. Everyone in the crowd was an epicenter of negative emotions, and the entire time Penny didn't even know what happened. Still covered in her opponent's blood, something within her mind _unsnapped _and her eyes dulled down from its glowing bright green.

"Huh? What happened? Why is everyone screaming?" Penny asked as she looked around, confused and unable to feel the warm blood evaporating off of her body. She ended up noticing the blood after a few seconds, and the trail that came from it lead to the now dead and mutilated body of Coco Adel. "AHHH!" Penny let out a scream. "What happened!? Did I do this!? No, no, no!" She tried to take a step forward in an attempt to help the girl, but a stern shout froze her in place.

"Stop!" One of the guards roared. "Don't take another step or else we'll shoot!"

"I-I… I don't remember doing this!" Penny pathetically tried to reason.

"Yeah right, I knew it was a mistake bringing you here." One of the other guards sneered. "You may look like a young girl who wouldn't harm a fly, but you're just a machine with no conscience. You should have never been designed. Now stand still or else we'll destroy you!"

Penny, shocked, hurt, confused and terrified of herself, slowly raised her hands. She felt an odd feeling. She's experienced sadness before, even depression at one point during her development. This was different, she couldn't believe this was happening! Just a moment ago she was getting ready to do battle against Coco and in the next moment, she was standing over her dead body!? None of this made any sense! She just wanted to go home, back to father and back to all of her-

"_This, is the next generation of huntsmen and huntresses who would protect us?" _A strange woman's voice spoke up over the intercom, silencing the shouting professors who were desperately trying to calm down the crowd in the Amity arena. "_This is who we have to entrust our lives too when they graduate from their respective academies? No, I refuse it. This is not an accident, this is not a tragedy. This is the accumulation of gross neglect and foolish headmasters of these great academies who would put a weapon in a tournament meant for children, and one that was so easily hacked into and controlled. Aren't upcoming huntsmen and huntresses meant to be trained to know honor and mercy? Because the only thing I have witnessed thus far is cowardice, immaturity, and lies." _

On the screen before her far above her head, Penny widened her eyes and cupped her face with shock and horror. On the screen was a design and schematics of her entire android body.

"_Our "Headmasters" are more powerful than most armies, most councils," _A new voice began, this one a mans. Adam Taurus, Penny somehow recognized. "_And one had enough gall to have a hand in all. However, for the incredible amount of power they possess they are still not enough to protect you and your ilk. Every day, the crime rate rises and the White Fang grows ever more powerful, especially in Vale. Just in these last few weeks alone, just how much has occurred? The unification of all mobs and gangs, hundreds if not thousands of robberies of dust stores, a near breach into the very heart of the city itself, the murder of a Beacon student within Beacon itself, where it should be the safest place in the world, and of course all of this was caused by one man, and one man with a very limited amount of help. Marcus Black."_

A recording of Marcus and his accomplices utterly demolishing Team RWBY at the docks began to show, locking on to the point and freezing frame the very moment that he stole Ruby's semblance, and leaving them all defeated and broken. It then went on to publicly show a recording of him murdering Blake after destroying her in battle as well. Then finally, a mixture of recordings from bystanders who managed to record some of the battle with Marcus and Neo against Tyrian and Adam right out in the open in the middle of the streets, which then lead on to the Ace Ops being defeated, and the last frame showing Marcus and Neo escaping with Tyrian.

"_If one man could do this much damage, then how could these leaders be trusted with the safety of you all?" _The woman began again. "_Perhaps Ozpin thought that he could improve the reputation of Beacon by capturing the man himself with his own forces, therefore denying the actions of the Ace Ops, who are supposed to be the best huntsmen and huntresses in all of the kingdoms. Over and over again, he was outpaced and outmaneuvered. Beginning with the loss of a student's semblance, then with the loss of a student's life, and most recently the man had needed help from the very person he was meant to hunt down to find an organization that has been confirmed to be responsible for many assassinations across all members of every party around the world. Even when General Ironwood was given the okay to help, not even his best was able to do anything noteworthy on their own. Why I hear that they are all in critical condition after just one encounter with the enemy. How… utterly disappointing."_

"_You think this scene is disturbing?" _Adam continued. Referring to the dead body of Coco. "_This is just the beginning, the beginning of the second Great War. All of you hide behind the media and refuse to believe that the illusion of peace will not be everlasting. Where in truth, the line between peace and all-out war has never been thinner, and this will start it all."_

The crowd began to panic even more as flying Grimm began to fly overhead. Hundreds of thousands of Nevermore, Griffons, and Manticores terrified them all and had them all screaming even louder. Most of them had never even seen a Grimm before, it was their immediate natural response.

And they couldn't have screamed louder. Perfect.

"_The war starts tonight. The massive death toll that will rise and rise is just the start. I know who I can trust, can you say the same?" _An explosion went off directly in the stands, killing dozens immediately and driving even more panic in the others. In their panic, a lot of the civilians jumped over the protective railing and into the arena itself. There was nowhere near enough guards to stop them from swarming out of their seats.

The intercom cut out, or more accurately, an explosion destroyed all of them. Set off by bombs, of course. Penny didn't know what was happening, she understood what was happening, in mere minutes Vale had just begun getting invaded by all sorts of Grimm due to its now inflated growth in negativity and panic. Already above them, a giant Nevermore was squawking loudly as it tried to pierce the shield and force its way into Amity. The guards that were about to arrest her before apparently forgetting about her as they rushed off to try and calm down and protect the other more vulnerable civilians that lacked aura and any kind of training that could help them against the Grimm. The android just stood there, shocked and frozen, staring down at the girl that she'd killed not five minutes prior.

Only one question ran through her mind. Well, two actually.

_How did this happen? _And, _Why?_

She didn't even realize it when Ruby was cupping her face and screaming in her face. "Cut it out!" She said. "The Grimm are about to breach, we need you!"

"But… I…" Penny looked over to Coco's body.

"Don't look at her right now, you didn't do that," Ruby reassured her. "That was Cinder and whatever she did to make you do that. I refuse to believe that you would have killed her all on your own, would you?"

"N-No!"

"Good," Ruby looked strained, but she stepped back and along with the rest of her team, and many others around her, called in her weapon from her rocket lockers. "Cinder wants us to break apart, to stop trusting each other. Well, I still trust you, Penny." Ruby extended her hand forward. "I believe that you were vulnerable before, but you were able to break out of it. Please, prove me right. Show everyone that I am not wrong."

Penny's hand shook as she took Ruby's. She let the girl pull her away from the messy scene, and made her look to the many students and soldiers that took up arms in preparation for the massive Nevermore that was just about to force its way through Amity's protective force field.

"We'll make it through this, together." Ruby declared as Crescent Rose shifted into its scythe form. "Team RYS, are you ready?"

"Pissed off," Yang confirmed as she slamming her fists together and loaded Ember Celica.

"Likewise," Weiss added, showing her new and improved weapon that she has adapted from her sister.

"Good," Ruby glared up at the Nevermore. "If Cinder wants a war, we'll give her one that will forever remain in history as the shortest war ever. One that lasts less than twenty-four hours. We'll beat them back from our home tonight!" She exclaimed.

Penny again didn't know what to say. Everything was happening so fast and the blood on her hands was still warm. She didn't know how she would come back from this, her father had to have seen the footage by now.

But… perhaps she can still be of use. She was designed to be a protector. Perhaps now was a good time to start showing that off.

With newfound resolve and stamping down uncomfortable thoughts. Penny crouched down and her eyes began flickering green again. Above her was her enemy, the true enemy, the Grimm. And in her hands was a green energy ball of death that would incinerate them all.

"Indeed. We, are combat-ready."

* * *

Marcus sat back in his seat and his eyes lazily scanned over his room. Something had to have happened by now, he was able to hear the explosions even with how far he was within Beacon's secret jail cells that weren't much of a secret if Ruby was able to find it and him so quickly. The lights had gone out and the guards that were guarding his room sprinted away after being called. Leaving him completely alone and in the dark, with nothing to stop him or someone else from hurting or letting him go.

Honestly, it was like they _wanted _him to escape. Shaking his head and moaning, Marcus twisted one of his hands in their straps and bit down a gasp as he dislocated his own thumb and wrist. Prompting him able to slip that hand somewhat haphazardly through the thick leather strap. Once that was done, he took a moment to calm down from his natural body's response of fight or flight and fear, and went on to untie his other hand with the available fingers he still had. The strip came flying off and immediately he used that hand to relocate his thumb and wrist of his other, wincing and exhaling as the bone snapped and popped back into place. To make sure that everything was where it was supposed to be, Marcus rolled his previous hand in a circle multiple times. It still hurt but it was more sore than painful. He would be fine. He could imagine that a silent alarm was going off, so he quickly went to work on his other straps. Now that he had his hands and arms free, he could go to work on the straps and chains on his legs and torso. He worked his way down, first unclasping the many clasps and gadgets that kept his body in place before reaching further down to work on the clips on his knees and then even further to his feet.

The final strap came loose with a satisfying snap and a whirring sound. Marcus sat in place and stretched, groaning in pleasure as more blood made its way to those limbs and feeling his bones creak and pop as he finally moved them for the first time in days. Seriously, he knows that he'd be considered dangerous, but they could have at least let him stand up and let him use the bathroom more. He didn't even want to know where his piss and shit went, but even then he wasn't allowed to do so much as _twitch _as some old lady came in to collect his waste.

"Ugh," Marcus groaned as he rolled his neck. "This feels way too satisfying, but I am going to have to get up now body."

If his body could talk back to him it probably would have said fuck you. He stood up, ignoring the sores and little areas of pain around his body and did one final stretch by raising his arms and hands straight up above his head. After one last round of creaking and popping, he let his arms drop. Standing up after sitting strapped in a chair for days straight had his vision going dark as he felt blood rush down and up from his head. He had his eyes closed shut. He almost didn't want to open them again because he knew what he'd have to do next. With one last sigh, he opened them and took a step to the exit.

He stopped the moment he saw her. She looked so real he thought that he was seeing a real-life ghost. But no, this wasn't just any normal ghost, it was a specter, he called it. A specter of a soul who was trapped within his semblance. The girl with yellow eyes, a pretty and young face, black hair, and her trademark cat ears that he made fun of before she died. She looked the same way she did when he last saw her. Wearing her bloodstained huntress dress with a hole where her heart used to be.

She just stared at him with a glare but mostly blank expression. Marcus didn't know what to say or do, this had never happened to be so realistic before, and he thought it'd be Summer or Neo doing this since they gave him their semblances willingly. He had little to no connection to this girl whatsoever, so why was she the one who was visible and standing right before his eyes right now?

"What are you going to do, my murderer?" The girl asked him, her voice not quite all there but cohesive enough to be understood.

"I…" Marcus hesitated, still shaken by what his semblance was doing to him. "I have a promise to keep… Beacon and Amity are being attacked, I have to go stop her."

"Like how you stopped me?" Blake inquired.

Marcus frowned, but after a moment, he nodded his head.

"I see. It was needless of me to ask, we are one and the same now. I can hear your thoughts, and you can hear mine." The specter pointed out. "I've never known you better than I do now. Especially with _her _breathing down my neck all the time."

"I am hearing a very disturbing lack of cursing and threats for my death," Marcus said.

"I have grown past that after I've witnessed firsthand these past few key events." Blake's specter looked down to the floor. "I still hate you for killing me, but I cannot let that hate stop me from letting you go help save my friends. You said you hated making promises, right?"

"I do." Marcus nodded his head.

"Make me a promise then," Blake said with a smug smirk. "It's the least you can do after shooting me in the heart. It was a painful yet swift death, but as you can imagine I have not forgotten it."

"Ugh… Fine."

"Protect my friends, stop Adam Taurus from causing even more pain and if you can, tell my parents what I did before I died, and tell them I loved them." Blake's specter began to fade away. "Then, I'll forgive you."

"That's a tall order," Marcus pointed out. "I don't even know if I am going to survive the night."

"Then find a way, my murderer." The specter began to disappear. "Or else you'll find yourself tormented beyond anything you could have ever possibly imagined…"

Marcus' heartbeat up into his ears even as Blake disappeared. His aura flickered black and a dark violet and he felt himself grow more rejuvenated. That was the closest he was ever going to get to talk to a real ghost, and only because it was his semblance that let him bridge the thin dimension between dead spirits and living souls. He figured that he became a medium now, which isn't going to mean much. But something to laugh about in the next few hours.

He took another step forward and went to go open the door to his room. It was locked, and that made sense. So Marcus did what any normal person in his situation would do and kicked the door off of its hinges with his robotic leg.

The moment he did, another specter greeted him. This one all too recognizable with her pink and brown hair with mismatched eyes and eccentric outfit. Marcus froze in place again, his emotions running wild once more. He stamped it down, letting it out now would only make it harder for him to continue forward.

Neo just looked at him and smiled. Her Specter circled around him, her hand pushed through his body and out the other side. He didn't feel anything and Neo probably couldn't either. But she looked up at him after getting very close to him, and despite not being able to feel it, he leaned slightly into her ghostly hand as it reached up to cup his face.

"_Win." _The mute specter mouthed to him.

She left just as fast as she came, disappearing and causing his aura to flicker pink. She made a promise to him and she kept it even at the cost of her own life. The message was clear to him, he had to keep his own promise or else she'd haunt him just as Blake implied that she would. With a sad chuckle, Marcus went down the empty hallway. It being emptied since the guards were required to go outside and deal with whatever was attacking Vale and the school.

He froze again when he saw the hallway lined with the men and women he has killed and stole the semblance of throughout the course of his life. Some of them he remembered, others he didn't. But they all stared at him, some of them with hate, some of them with pity, and some of them with fear and sadness. His son stood in the middle, his arms crossed and looking the same as he did the last time he saw him. A stab wound in the chest, grey shirt, bandages around his robotic legs and a bruised up and bloodied face.

"Old man," Mercury greeted him with a smug smirk. "Thought you saw the last of me, did ya?"

"Mercury," Marcus couldn't help himself when tears immediately began to flow out from the corners of his eyes. "Mercury, I'm so-"

"Don't apologize, old man," Mercury's specter cut him off. "I tried to kill you after falsely accusing you for Mom's murder. I know better now, I spent the last year in that fucked up head of yours and I know the truth." He shut his eyes and shook his head. "So stop feeling bad about killing me. If you hadn't, I have no idea what I'd be doing right now. Probably helping Cinder, I don't know."

"Mercury…" Marcus hung his head. "That doesn't excuse me from what I did… I killed my own son. I broke my promise to your mother and I murdered you with less than a second thought because I lost hope for you. There was no love in our relationship, I was a terrible father. Beating you and forcing you to train even though I knew you hated it. Cutting off your legs and forcing bionics onto you. Stealing your semblance the day you unlocked it." He grabbed his head and pulled at his white hair, screaming to himself. "How can you treat me like this now?"

"Because I know what you know now," Mercury said softly. "Like the cat-girl said earlier, I am a part of you now, and you will forever be a part of me. At least half, if my estimations are correct." They shared a morbid chuckle. "I'm not going to say that you were ever good too, because really, you weren't. But it wasn't like our family tree was something to be admired. I mean, how many generations in a row did a son kill a father? All the way back to when Nicholas Schnee had a bastard child, and down all the way to you and yours. I almost did it too, you ended the cycle, and most likely, you're going to end this bloodline."

"Heh," Marcus smiled sadly and wiped away at his face. "You're right on the money there… I'm done having kids."

"Good, now go." Mercury's specter stepped to the side, opening the path for him. "Keep to your promise, and go kick some ass. There's one more you have to talk to before you go, but I am sure you already know who that is."

Marcus nodded his head slowly, already seeing her white hood all the way down the end of the hall.

"And Dad," He was stopped as soon as he caught up to his son. "Don't hold back. Don't hold anything back. You know that the only way you're going to beat her is if you go all out. Which means using your _semblance _to its full potential."

"Yeah…" Marcus replied darkly. "I know."

"Good." Mercury disappeared, as did the dozens of people that lined the hallways. Marcus felt his aura flicker again, this time a grey color but also mixed with a mirage of dozens of others. He didn't feel much stronger, but he knew that he was more powerful.

He walked and walked for what felt like minutes, when it was really much less than that. Summer's cloak waved despite there being no wind, and as he caught up to her, his mind raced. When he got close enough to reach out and grab her shoulder, the woman turned around. Her hand reached up and brushed away some of her hair and she smiled at him. Silver eyes shining brightly along with her pure white cloak.

"So, you made it this far." She told him, still smiling. "Was I right or was I right?" She teased.

"Heh," Marcus shut his eyes and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess you won that bet." He admitted, chuckling lightly.

"Look how far you've come," Summer admired. "A cold-hearted man who's killed hundreds of people, an assassin, a murderer, a father who killed his own son. Look at you now, you want to protect Beacon and the memories here that are still valuable to you even now. You're the hero who's going to take down the bad guy once and for all."

"No, I am not a hero." Marcus denied. "Not after everything I did."

"The hero term is subjective." Unlike before, he could feel it when Summer reached up and stroked his face. "You're certainly my hero. My best friend, proving me right." She giggled. "I can finally rest knowing that you are becoming what you were meant to be the entire time. You fought back against destiny itself, against fate itself. You're not a monster, and you may not be called a hero by anyone but me. But you know just as well as I do that you are going to do the right thing, and be remembered for it."

"Yeah…" Marcus smirked at the thought. "That's the thing about destiny and fate… I always thought that-"

"No," Summer stopped him. "Save that line for later. When you know you're going to win."

Marcus shut his mouth and nodded his head with a light chuckle.

"When the time comes, Marcus," Summer began to fade away as he opened his eyes to look at her. "I'll be waiting for you."

She disappeared and in the next second, he found himself alone in the dark hallway again. His aura shined brightly a fourth and final time, this time a pure white. Whiter than anything he's ever witnessed. His resolve was strong, his determination was unparalleled. Beacon was being attacked and he had no weapons to his name and no armour either. He was just one man with a red and black shirt and brown pants with some boots.

But he was also an assassin. He was also a huntsman. He was also a murderer. He was also a savior. He was Marcus Black, and now he had a new target.

Cinder Fall, and everyone who got in his way.

Even as a screeching roar from the biggest and most powerful Grimm he's ever seen came roaring overhead, he knew what it was time to do.

* * *

**Well… That was a thing. I ended up getting a little ahead of myself and this arc started sooner than I planned. But oh well, plans never survive contact with the enemy, as they say. **

**This story: Despite the lack of popularity of this story, I have loved writing it so far. Every scene and every character required everything I had. It was dark at times, funny at times, happy at times, and sad at times. I really do feel like I have become a better writer because of this fanfiction story. This really did teach me a lot. I started to look past the numbers and just wrote and wrote and I am passionate about what I created. Some of you may not know this, but I am aiming to become a writer in the future. I want to write my own original book with my own original world and characters. This was really a big help with practice. RWBY is such a vast world and RT has so many things that they could play around with. In this case, I took the Black family. Ever since I used Marcus as a character in my first story, An Unlikely Hero, which is another passion project in itself. I was instantly hooked to the character. We have practically nothing on him aside from his semblance and the way he treated Mercury as a child. But once I heard what his semblance was? Oof, I just **_**needed **_**to write a story about him. **

**I may have made him stronger and more skilled than he really would be in RT's canonical version of Remnant which let's all be honest here, he probably wouldn't be much. I mean, **_**Mercury **_**somehow managed to kill him in RWBY. By himself! That was something that kept bugging me once I learned that Marcus was some kind of master assassin. I mean, there are so many questions that were left unanswered! How did Marcus become an assassin? Was there a group? An organization? How did he fight? How did Mercury beat this supposed Master Assasin that CINDER HERSELF wanted to recruit under herself and Salem? **

**Bah, most likely all of these questions will go unanswered, but that's what fanfiction and headcanon is for. RT may never answer these questions, and this story may get buried quickly and all my work will probably be forgotten to time. But at the very least I can answer some of the questions myself and get some great practice in. I mean, I love this story. I put the most effort into this story so far. And I am glad that I wrote it. It's not perfect by any means, but it's **_**mine.**_

**Next chapter might just be the final chapter. I just wanted to put this in now because I am probably not going to write much of an AN for the last chapter. I will talk about the next story in planning, but that's about it.**

**For the second to last time, because tell me what you think about the story so far.**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


	36. Chapter 36

**Here we are at last. Let's bring an end to this fantastic joy ride. I promise that this isn't an April fools prank. This is actually the last chapter Lol.**

* * *

**Beta: CrowSkull**

**Destiny Fated Black**

**Chapter 36**

* * *

Leaving the ghost-filled hallway, Marcus made his way into the lobby and quickly found his way to the exit of the building. Around him, people like huntsmen, Atlesian soldiers, students, and visitors were rushing around in a mixture of controlled and uncontrolled panic. On the bright side, they were all so busy and distracted with the apparent attack on Beacon that they either didn't recognize him at first glance or they didn't care enough about him at the moment to do anything about it. Marcus didn't hang around long, and quickly made his way to the nearest armory. It would be hidden so that students and other non-stable people would find it, but Marcus remembered where it was. He used to be a student there after all.

It was Beacon, a school meant for boys and girls who wanted to train and become huntsmen or huntresses. Not all of them had weapons with them right away, so sometimes they had to just use what was provided for them by the staff. Marcus had to hide so that some huntsmen wouldn't see him and assume that he was the enemy and waited a few moments before double and triple checking to see if he had time to quickly loot the armory. He rushed in and moved around as quickly as he could, it was practically ransacked already. Barely any ammo and mostly only guns and small weapons like swords were available to him. While he was good with nearly every weapon here, he didn't want to go out to the battlefield without his best choice of weapon. Unfortunately, it seemed that Ozpin was smart and hid knives, guns and armour pieces elsewhere. So like all the other huntsmen, Marcus had to improvise.

He took one of the pistols from the wall and set it on the table, then took the closest powerful sniper rifle that was left on the wall. Then went to work. With practiced ease, he took apart the pistol and laid out all the parts before him, then went to work on removing the barrel of the sniper rifle and then going deeper and being careful to take out the mechanism that fired and chambered the bullet and set that piece down on the ground. His hands were tools, and the gun pieces were the screws so to speak. Each of them was differently sized and had their own language and set of rules, but he made them blend together and combined their culture. Soon enough, he made a pistol that was less powerful than his previous Atlesian hand cannon, but stronger than most sniper rifles. He discarded the other pieces of the sniper and pistol and grabbed all the rounds that were compatible with his unorthodox combination of gun parts and loaded three magazines. That was all he had the time for.

With his new hand cannon back in the makeshift holster of his pants, Marcus didn't waste time to try and make himself a knife befitting of his style and grabbed the shortest sword that he could. Thankfully, it was serrated and in a similar shape as the knife he'd used to win most of his battles. Though slightly longer. It was slightly heavier and the balance was more forward and uneven, but it would do for now. Satisfied with his decisions, he thought on whether or not he should put on armour.

"No, not enough time…" He thought out loud as he made his way out of the armory. Marcus kept moving and made his way to the closest exit. It was a back exit that not many people would use in a situation like this, which was exactly why he took it. The most obvious route would get him caught up in unnecessary conflict and he didn't need to risk wasting time and energy fighting the ones he intended to work with in the first place.

The wind smacked him in the face the moment he pushed the door open and let himself out. It was night time, dark out, and Beacon was only lit by dim emergency lights. But it was loud, very loud, and Marcus cursed at what he saw. This was what Cinder planned, all-out chaos and anarchy. Students and huntsmen and Atlesian soldiers were fighting all over the place, and they were fighting members of the White Fang, Grimm, and the very people that Marcus had helped Cinder recruit months ago. Cursing under his breath, Marcus rushed into the field. Up above him, he could see more members of the White Fang in dozens of Bullheads rappel themselves down into Beacon, and to his shock, some of them were even full of Grimm. He had no idea how they were able to get the Grimm in there, or how the Grimm didn't try to break themselves out, but they somehow managed to do it.

Ursa, Beowolves, and other monstrosities that the creatures of darkness were able to manifest were invading Beacon. Ironic, given that the school was meant to destroy these monsters in the first place. Marcus charged forward and cut his way through the first Grimm that came his way, the unsuspecting Beowolf was decapitated before it even knew that he was on it. And Marcus kept on moving. Even past the soldiers and huntsmen that were desperately fighting. He was just one man, and he was best against people. And it wasn't like they'd willingly fight with him after they realized who he was anyway. So Marcus wasn't going to waste his time to try and help them. They were huntsmen and trained soldiers, if they couldn't handle the Grimm and terrorists, then they chose the wrong profession to get into.

It was a harsh and morbid way of thinking but it was truthful and one that he needed to keep to now more than ever. If he spent his time saving everyone that looked like they were in trouble then he'd never get to Cinder in time. He knew that Amber, the maiden that they'd almost killed months ago, was somewhere in the CCT. So that was where Cinder was going to be, and if he had to guess. Adam wouldn't be too far away. The only thing was that the CCT was on the other side of Beacon from where he was, and contrary to popular belief, Beacon was a lot bigger than one would think.

He'd get there faster than most. And he'd get through anyone and anything that got in his way. Unfortunately, the White Fang sought to test him on that.

"There he is!" A terrorist shouted when they saw his unmistakable head of white hair. "That's Marcus Black! Kill him like Adam ordered!"

"You'll try," Marcus sneered as he altered his path just slightly to the left so that he was charging their way. His metal feet dug into the dirt with every step he took, and now that he was fully energized on aura and ready to go, he was faster than ever. The White Fang didn't even have the time to raise their guns at him before he got to them in time, he stabbed once in the neck with his small sword and while the terrorist was gagging on his own blood he pulled him, still on the end of his blade, and used the dying man as a human shield to block the rest of the bullets that were fired on him from the rest of the terrorists.

The second closest terrorist screamed in fear once Marcus dropped the dead man and pulled his gun up. That terrorist died a quick death as a bullet blew her head open, her brains and blood spilling out onto the pavement and sending the other White Fang members into disarray. Marcus went on to dismantle them all, showing no mercy to the ones who would bring Grimm to a school for kids just wanting to learn how to become a huntsman or huntresses. They deserved deaths for this, and usually, he'd be happy to give them a more brutal death. But right now he was on a time limit, and he couldn't waste more time than he already had on these fucks.

His arms and hands were covered in blood and about a quarter of his first magazine was used in order to eliminate the first group of terrorists. He whipped his limbs and weapons to the side and got rid of some of it. He heard a step in his direction from behind and snapped his head and body around. Behind him, he could see a boy trying to muster up the courage to go up to him. A student he didn't recognize, nor really care about. But he was clearly afraid of him, and the other three students behind him, and for good reason. They just watched him brutally kill a whole squadron of terrorists in under a minute and whipped their blood off his body like it was nothing. Killing was a numb feeling for him, he couldn't care for it, but he could understand why these kids would be afraid of him for it.

"Don't do it, kid," Marcus said, not really willing to fight the kids. "It's not going to end well." He warned.

"Y-you're Marcus Black," the boy said stupidly. "A-a-aren't you the bad guy?"

"I was," Marcus lazily nodded his head. "Now I'm not, do you have a problem with that?" He took a step forward and they all stepped away from him. They might as well have given their answer to him with a reaction like that. "Good, now sit back and pretend you didn't see me and maybe this school won't go to shit-"

A deafening screech sounded above them again. Marcus cursed under his breath and ignored the cry of the students as he got close to the ground and grabbed the grass. The Grimm Wyvern flew overhead close to the ground, causing strong winds to blast into their bodies and knock them around. Due to him holding on to the ground, however, he was able to stop himself from being blown away like the inexperienced kids were.

Marcus looked to the skies and saw the thing up close for the first time. It was massive, strong, and powerful. Most likely it would be able to take a shot from an artillery cannon and just get pissed off. "I can't take that down," Marcus whispered to himself as the immediate thought came to his mind. His weapons were too small and weak to do any real damage. He might be able to do something if he was able to climb onto its head and damage its eyes and brain somehow, but that would take a lot of risk and a lot of luck. And a lot of time. He couldn't do anything about the Wyvern right now.

This was a school full of trained warriors. Beacon was the best school for training huntsmen for a reason. He'd have to trust them to actually get their shit together for once and take it down.

Marcus tore his eyes away from the beast and kept moving forward. There was a large group of White Fang ahead, and there was a large group of Grimm between them as well. The fastest way to the CCT was straight ahead, and so Marcus made his choice and charged straight into the Grimm. At first, it looked like the Grimm were confused, but quickly they started to snarl, snap, and charge right back at him. He didn't know what it was but it seemed like he inspired other huntsmen who started to charge in with him. Marcus went low and slid under the swipe of an Ursa and stabbed the beast in its hind leg. As he tore it out he slit the throat of a Beowolf and rolled forward with his momentum. Using his metal leg, he broke the ankles of another smaller Grimm and disabled it. Not even bothering to finish it off, Marcus roared a mighty roar and charged headfirst into another Ursa. He actually started to overpower it once his blade stabbed through the Ursas chest and pushed it back. The Grimm faded away quickly once it died, and Marcus kept pushing forward.

Now covered in faunus blood and the black blood of the Grimm, the White Fang that saw him charging forward immediately turned their attention on him in an attempt to take him down at range. But that left them completely open from another front. A horde of students charged at them from one side while Atlesian soldiers attacked from another. Split and flanked from three different directions, the next White Fang squadron was taken down before Marcus even had to get his hands _too _dirty.

He didn't even stop to others recognizing him, he just kept running. His thighs began to burn, but his aura and adrenaline had already started to keep his stamina in a decent check. Already, he was about halfway to the CCT in just about ten to fifteen minutes. He'd get there sooner, but there was a small problem. As he ran past a cafeteria, he heard the clashing of blades and the screams of young. Everything in Marcus' mind told him to rush forward and leave them behind, but the screams just kept getting louder in the back of his mind and he skidded into a halt. Once he heard the sound of a sword stabbing into a chest, he cursed and turned around. The cafeteria windows were clear, and he could clearly see through them, and the red-haired man that stood over the dead body of a student. All around him, an entire team of students were completely wiped out, with only one of them barely still alive.

"Please, stop," Cardin begged as he crawled away, one of his legs were so cut and damaged that it looked like it was only still there because of some thin strings of skin, tendons, and clothing. "You've done enough, let me go!"

"Have I done enough?" Adam asked as he walked toward the terrified student who had just watched his entire team get killed. "I don't think so, human. What was it you called me? An animal? Well, who looks like the animal now?" He stepped on Cardin's leg and stopped him, causing the boy to whimper and cry out in pain. "An animal that is so injured it can barely move. I suppose it's time to put it down."

"No, not this one." Adam stopped when he heard his voice. His blade refused to fall any farther and he held it tightly in his hand. So tightly that it began to shake in his rage. He turned around and snapped his coat to the side, staring daggers through his mask toward the white-haired man that had broken through the window behind him. "The only animal here is you, Adam. Look at you, killing kids and torturing them. You're not an animal because you're a faunus, you're an animal because you're a heartless killing machine without thought."

"Ha!" Adam sneered. "You're on to talk, Marcus Black. Though, I knew that I was going to run into you again sooner than later. Either today or in the events after, I knew that I was going to get the chance to kill you again."

"Like that went so good for you the last time," Marcus snarkily remarked. The two men began to circle each other. The boy that Adam stepped on started to crawl away, and Marcus made sure to put himself between him and the faunus before him to make sure that nothing else would happen to him. "And yeah, I'm not denying what I am or what I did. I'm just pointing out that you're not any better than I am. Worse, actually. At least I did what I did because I was paid for it. You just do it because you're a spiteful little brat who's pissy about getting his eye branded."

"How do you know that!?" Adam snarled, hand on the hilt of his weapon already.

"Heh," Marcus chuckled as Blake's memories shadowed his thoughts. Another side effect of his semblance, it carried some fragments of their memories with the part of the soul he'd steal. Coincidentally with that girl, this man was at the forefront of a lot of her memories. "Just a lucky guess." He lied.

"Damn you," Adam brought a hand up to his face and tore off his mask. It bounced off the ground and in a random direction. Adam's one blue eye glared at him, while the other was branded and damaged to the point of blindness. From this distance, Marcus could just make out what it said. SDC. The sight made him sigh mentally, but then again he already knew about how messed up that company could be sometimes. "I suppose there's no point in hiding it then. I will fight you with my own face, Marcus Black. And I will kill you."

"What's with everyone saying that to me lately?" Marcus asked as he got into a stance. "I'm going to kill you, I'm going to maim you, I'm going to poke your eyes out with my scorpion stinger that pokes out my ass. Always something with you angry fighting types. Always something." He taunted.

"I won't let you anger me any further," Adam said as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword again and got into a stance. "I've heard worse and I already have the motivation to kill you. You killed Blake. How dare you take away what was mine? I'll make you pay for that, I'll make you pay…"

"Would you believe me if I said it was an accident?" Marcus prompted.

"SHE WAS MINE TO KILL!" Adam screamed as he charged forward angrily.

Hook, line, and sinker. Marcus thought as he leaned back from Adam's first attack and stepped into his now open body and struck his knee into his hip. Unlike Harriet, Adam had a very strong core and tanked it with all but a grunt before lashing out at him again. Marcus deflected the strike and stepped back. The real battle began quickly, and while Adam was young, he was experienced and Marcus recognized him to have exceptional skill behind his wild and reckless attacks.

However, he was a decade too early if he thought that he could beat Marcus on his own. Marcus played to his strengths and didn't let Adam control the battle like he knew he was most comfortable with after already fighting him and Tyrian once in the streets of Vale. He also knew his style. Adam was very fast, aggressive, and ruthless. He could tell that he was the kind of fighter that was so fast and strong that he could quickly overwhelm anyone who was not ready for it or someone who was less skilled than he was. He was a prodigy for sure, and he trained a lot. And while he had experience, it was still nothing in comparison to his own level of experience. Marcus spent his entire life brutally training, getting stronger, and fighting all kinds of people from all over the world. And he very rarely got put on the back foot.

One slip here, another deflect there. Marcus backpedaled but not because he was getting pushed back. But because he was making sure that Adam was using more energy than he was. He wanted a chance to reach out and grab Adam's arm or face so that he could steal his semblance and render him unable to fight. To a bystander, it might have looked like a battle for the ages. But for him, this was just another day in the office.

Their blades sparked against each other as both decided that they would refuse to give any ground. Sparks flew and struck their faces, but they both kept their eyes wide and open. Constantly moving them so that they could see what was coming and react accordingly. Adam pushed himself beyond his limits and made Marcus have to move just a little faster, but not so much so that he started to get worried. Marcus found his opening and he dove in, striking his shoulder into Adam's sword wrist when he swung a little too wide and knocking it aside and throwing his knee directly into Adam's groin. Adam's eyes bulged out and all the wind was knocked out of his lungs and he folded forward, giving Marcus the chance to put the barrel of his gun underneath his chin and pull the trigger.

Adam's brain shook in his skull as his aura tanked the entire force of a sniper caliber bullet directly up into his chin. The force was so strong that it sent him flying into the air a few feet and for him to land on his back. Marcus lunged forward and kicked him in the face right as Adam tried to get back up against his own body's wishes, and saw stars in his vision. Despite being stunned as he was, he was still able to react fast enough to grab Marcus' wrist with his hands and stop the offending hand from grabbing his face. Fearful of losing the semblance that had carried him this far and angered by not even getting the chance to use it yet, Adam desperately pushed back Marcus' hand, and diverted one of them to stop Marcus from using his other hand to grab him.

From there it became a desperate battle of strength. Adam had the advantage of the ground beneath to brace his body, but he was in an uncomfortable position and his elbow was bent in a way that was forcing him to use his tricep instead of his stronger bicep muscles. Marcus had the bigger advantage of having his own body weight to support his pushing down along with his strength and slowly began to overpower Adam.

"No," Adam snarled through grit teeth as Marcus slowly inched his hand toward his face. "Not like this, my story hasn't ended yet! I will, save, the faunus!"

"No," Marcus growled as he forced his hand down even further, grasping Adam by the cheek. "You've done nothing but make it worse for them."

Adam screamed and kicked at Marcus' back as he felt his semblance being taken away from him, along with a part of his aura and unbeknownst to him a part of his soul. Adam's hand went limp and Marcus slapped his face to the side and kicked his sword away. He stood up and took in a deep breath and internally cursed himself. He was getting old, his body wasn't in its prime anymore. That took more stamina than he really intended to.

"You've lost," Marcus pointed out needlessly as he aimed his pistol at him. "Your semblance is gone and your aura is down." He was about to pull the trigger to end Adam's life, but something stopped him. Closing his eyes, he heard Blake's voice. He already kept his promise, she pointed out. He didn't need to kill him, he was beaten she begged. He could leave him here to be arrested later so he could be tried for his crimes, she pleaded.

Marcus sighed explosively and turned away from the defeated Adam Taurus.

"Coward!" Adam cried out to him. "Finish me off! Don't leave me here in this pathetic state!"

"You shouldn't have lost then," Marcus replied simply as he began to walk away.

"Damn you…" Adam growled under his breath. "Damn you… Marcus Black… you've ruined everything… Everything…" He reached for his hilt, and the gun part that was secretly installed into it. A new upgrade he didn't get to try out in this battle against Marcus. He slowly slid it out and aimed at-

Adam's head whipped back as a bullet entered through his forehead and exited out the back, killing him instantly.

"No," Marcus said, looking back at the now-dead Adam Taurus. "I'm not falling for that one again," He whispered sadly to himself. "I'm sorry, Blake. He wasn't going to give up, just like you." He couldn't take a shot to the back like that and waste aura, he already lost more than he wanted before he went on to stand against Cinder. As far as he knew, she already had the full power of the fall maiden and was killing Ozpin slowly. He'd need every drop of aura that he could get and couldn't take any more surprise attacks.

Marcus sighed to himself as Blake resigned herself to the back of his mind, now occupied by Adam as well, he quickly buried himself back there as well. Marcus just kept moving forward. Adam was just one enemy he had to get through that night, now, he just had a few more obstacles and hurdles to get through before he got to Cinder.

That was one promise down, and there was yet more to go…

* * *

The Nevermore broke through the protective forcefield and began to fall down into the arena below. As it was falling down, rocket lockers zoomed past it and some of them even struck the beast itself, causing it to screech out in pain as it forced one part of their body to fall faster and to destroy its balance in the air. One by one the lockers embedded themselves into the ground as they landed. And as soon as they did, the doors on the front of them exploded out and away. Quickly, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and the rest of the students and their friends in Team JNPR went on to grab their weapons. By the time the Nevermore actually hit the ground, all of the students were already armed.

They still needed time to calibrate and adjust their weapons to the according situation. Which gave Penny the opportunity to defend them and give them more time by rushing straight ahead into combat. Her swords flew out of her back and she locked on to her target, a big and slow Nevermore was much better in the air than it was on the ground where it was vulnerable and slow. So Penny already knew what to target. As the Nevermore spread its wings to try and fly up into the air, Penny shot her swords forward and slashed at the tendons and thick black muscles with her flying swords. She missed one wing, but the other was completely disabled. Which stopped the Nevermore before it could get too far up into the air.

That couple of seconds of recovery was exactly what was needed for Yang and Weiss to rush in next. Yelling out some kind of team attack name as Weiss stabbed her new sword into the ground and layered the arena floor around and under the Nevermore with ice. Next, Yang smashed her fists together and punched at the floor, shooting Ember Celica at the same time and sending herself flying into the air. She shot in the air one more time to correct herself, and then once more to send herself flying back into the ground right beside the creature. With a mighty roar, Yang smashed her fist into the icy floor to cause an explosion of steam that made the Nevermore screech and try to get away instinctively.

And right into the dozens of other students, including Ruby, that had shifted their weapons into their ranged forms and started unloading every round of dust that they had into the massive creature. It was impossible to miss, and with almost every single student they fired a different element of dust. The Nevermore screamed out in pain as its thick feathery hide was torn apart and its once healthy wing was destroyed. One might have thought it was dead already, but it hadn't started to dissipate yet. So there was more yet to be done.

"Yah!" Nora squealed as she jumped into the air enhanced by her grenade launcher. Her weapon shifted into its hammer form mid-air and she spun as she fell back down to give herself even more striking power. Watching this, Jaune took this opportunity to slip into the Nevermores guard as it craned its neck up to look up at the falling Nora and opened its mouth as if it intended to swallow her whole. Jaune didn't let that happen, and as he got under the beast he stabbed Crocea Mors up into its neck and twisted, then pulled down as hard as he could.

The Nevermore's head came with his sword and he was nearly crushed by the creature as its head slammed against the ground. He had Ren to thank for it, since he charged in right with him just for that purpose. Now that the Nevermore was disabled and now stunned and vulnerable, Nora's hammer was just the icing on the cake. And icing it was as Nora's hammer smashed the Nevermore's head inward and sent a massive spray of black blood in every direction. Now it was truly dead, and it wasn't getting back up anytime soon. The Nevermore began to dissipate and Nora let herself roll backward and onto her feet, marveling at her magnificent work with a smile full of absolute glee.

"That was a lot easier than before," Weiss commented as Team RYS reunited.

"It had to be, there were dozens of us instead of just four." Yang scoffed. "I would have been surprised if this thing lasted longer than the other."

"Good job team!" Ruby cheered for their benefit. "And good job Nora!"

"Thank you!" Nora could be heard from about a hundred feet away and through the haze of black steam mixed with the light gray from Yang and Weiss' team attack.

"This is not over yet, Friend Ruby," Penny said as she stepped up to them through the steam. Her words were still hovering around her shoulders, giving her an intimidating silhouette. It failed to scare Ruby and her team, but the other students around them were giving the android a sideways glare. Some made their disdain for her more known, others tried to pretend like she never existed. But the majority of them all wanted her gone. "The Grimm and White Fang are invading Beacon and Vale. We must evacuate all the civilians in amity and be quick to return to Beacon in its defense."

"Hmph, you got that just by looking up at the sky?" One student sneered loudly. "I wouldn't think you'd care about human life after you tortured Coco to death on live television."

Penny visibly flinched. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang looked around nervously as a dozen or so of their peers started to slowly encircle them and Penny. Slowly, they turned around and mutually accepted to help defend Penny if the worst happened and they attacked. Penny gulped and silently counted to five before stepping forward to explain herself.

"I did not want nor did I intend for any of this to happen. If you paid attention to the announcement, I was manipulated. Hacked, if you insist. I did not know what I was doing and before I realized it and got myself under control it was already done. I am sorry if I am emplacing doubt about me upon your mind. If I could, I would reverse the events that already happened."

"Your apology doesn't bring Coco back!" An older student barked. "Coco is dead, you killed her! Stabbed who knows how many times and then discarded her like she was nothing, and now all of a sudden you're remorseful and apologetic? Fuck that! You're not even a real girl!"

"Hey, calm down." Yang sternly demanded. "There's no reason to be fighting with our allies."

The older student scoffed. "Coming from the girl with brain damage, I'm not too sure _you _are our ally."

"Hey! We've gone to class together, all of us!" Ruby exclaimed as Yang widened her eyes as if she'd been slapped. "The Grimm are attacking and people are in danger! Just look around you, there are terrified people still trying to leave the stands right now! We're just wasting time arguing, don't do this, please!"

"I'm not fighting with that thing," Another student said, pointing to Penny. "How can I trust someone who can get manipulated or hacked so easily and on the spot? I'm not turning my back to her just so she can stab it and kill me. I just can't trust it."

"Move away little girls," The older student, who seemed to have become the leader of the little rebellion, threatened them by flourishing his weapon. "You're young and I doubt any of you have been on missions yet, so I can understand where you are coming from. But trust me, destroying her now is the better option than to wait and let her attack us from behind. Just step back, and let us handle it."

"No!" Ruby stamped one foot. "I-"

"If that is what you desire, then so be it," Penny said as she let her swords fall and return into her back.

"Penny!?" Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all exclaimed in their shock. "No!"

"There is no use arguing, friend Ruby," Penny said, looking at them with a smile. "I am forbidden to kill humans, as is one of my primary objectives of my design. That I have taken a life is inexcusable, and I understand why they would desire to destroy me. If it means that the innocent civilians can get evacuated at a quicker pace and for reinforcements to return to Beacon, then I will gladly give my life for a better outcome."

"Hmph, looks like someone understands." Slowly, the other students began to close in. "You heard her girls, get out of the way."

"No," Shockingly, it wasn't any of the members of Team RYS that said that, and the voice was much deeper and much more tranquil, yet it came with such an authority that instinctively, the students that we're closing in on Penny and RYS all stopped and backed away. From behind them a very tall dark-skinned man who could be mistaken for a fully trained huntsmen with how large he was, and the large bronze sword that was longer than some people were added to his intimidation factor. Yatsuhashi stepped up and in the defense of Penny. "I will not let you destroy this girl"

"Yatsu," The older student from before called out to him. "Coco was your leader, your friend! And yet you stand in the defense of her murdered?"

"I do," Yatsuhashi said. "As would my other teammates if they were here. Penny here was not in her right mind when she did what she did, she said so herself. Isn't that right?"

"Y-yes," Penny nodded her head. "I wasn't in control of myself or my actions."

"Then I will not hold it against you," Yatsuhasi glanced at Coco's body. "Vengeance is something that my leader told me to never fall into. The feeling would never leave me even if I let you destroy this miracle of a creation. Although I cannot forgive you or forget what happened right now, my ideals demand for me to not let this happen."

"Thank you, Yatsuhashi," Penny said, bowing her head in deep gratitude. "I will not let your deed go wasted.

"Good. Now go before my patience runs thin." The tall man demanded. "All of you as well. Grimm and terrorists are attacking our home, and yet you stand here bickering and arguing and letting people die by the second." The harsh way he stated that had them all wincing. "Correct yourselves and help with the evacuation, at the very least, you may all save a life today."

Not willing to argue or fight any longer. The students all dispersed and ceased their encirclement. Almost thankfully, the Grimm started to flood into the arena once again from the now destroyed force field. Putting them all on guard once again. However, not all of them could fight at the same time here. People needed to be saved like Yatsuhashi implied, and they couldn't all waste their time here with Grimm that was threatening nobody that couldn't already defend themselves.

Ruby grabbed Penny's hand and pulled her along with her team. Penny let it happen. They made their way through the retreating and charging students and connected with Jaune, Ren, and Nora, who looked at Penny and immediately understood what was happening.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help," Jaune told Ruby as they ran together. "We got a call from Pyrrha and we're all worried about her. We have to get back to Beacon."

"Don't worry about it," Ruby replied immediately and without hesitation. "We'll get to Beacon and we'll protect it from the attackers. First, we should-"

"_Attention all remaining students, civilians, and trained personnel," _General Ironwood's voice boomed throughout the intercom. From overhead, one of Ironwood's ships from his army flew. "_Go to the nearest docking station for evacuation or to help with evacuation efforts. If you can, work together, and move as fast as you can. I have my soldiers and defense droids going throughout the stadium to collect any stragglers and they will defend you with their lives. I will be here as well to help, please, make your way to the nearest docking station as quickly as possible."_

The intercom cut out. "Well, we know where to go now," Yang remarked as they slightly adjusted their path to the nearest docking station. "We can take one of those Bullheads to Beacon, right?"

"We'll have too," Jaune said. "I'm sure not all of them are meant for the civilians, they'll need reinforcements at Beacon, they have to."

"We'll all go together," Ruby promised. "Right?" She asked as she looked over her shoulder at Penny.

Penny hesitated, by ultimately nodding her head in agreement.

"Good, let's go!"

"I might have an idea about where Pyrrha is," Jaune said to his team as they rushed forward.

"Where?" Nora inquired.

"The CCT. I had a talk with her earlier today, said that she had to do something important and that it had something to do with Ozpin and some fairy tale." Jaune shook his head. "We'll have to get there and get her out of there if we can. Who knows what is happening to Beacon right now."

"We'll get to her, Jaune," Ren assured his friend. "And she can take care of herself, she isn't the strongest amongst our year for no reason."

"Heh, you're right…"

For some reason, being reminded of that fact didn't fill him with any more confidence. There was already someone out there who could easily defeat her, who's to say that there wasn't another?

* * *

Ozpin and Glynda rushed Pyrrha out of the elevator the moment they made it down into the secret basement of Beacon. Glynda kept Pyrrha close to her as Ozpin moved faster than either of the women have ever seen him move. He rushed forward and planted his hands onto Amber's monitor and began to type away at commands. Sweat started to pool on his brow, and before Pyrrha had the chance to ask what he was doing the second tube beside Ambers opened up. Ozpin turned around to finally address the girl.

"I am happy that you came to me when you did, Miss Nikos," Ozpin said as he gestured to the tube. "Forgive me, but it is now or I am going to ask Miss Goodwitch to enter this tube despite the risks. Please, make your choice now."

Pyrrha looked down and hesitated for all but two seconds. "My choice has already been made headmaster. I will become the next fall maiden."

Ozpin sighed lightly and nodded his head, then gestured for the girl to go into the tube. After another moment of hesitation, Glynda helped the girl move forward and step into the tube, turn around so that she could rest on her back, and then gently let her fall back into the tube. Before she could have second thoughts, Ozpin pushed a few more buttons and the tube door started to close in on her. Before she knew it she was locked in, and after doing a few mock pushes against the inside of the tube, she found that it was completely hard and dense and locked in. She was not going to get out unless she used her semblance, and even using it on a handful of screws have started to become all too much for her after her recent encounter with Marcus Black in Mountain Glenn. So she took a deep breath and let the back of her had fall backward onto the cushion behind her head. She proceeded to take many deep breaths to help calm herself so that she wouldn't panic no matter what happened.

"After I start some subroutines and do a final calibration check, I need you to give me a voice confirmation," Ozpin said as he got the machine whirring to life. "Just answer honestly when I ask you this next question; Are you ready?"

Pyrrha nodded her head.

Ozpin sighed. "I need you to say the words, please."

"Yes, I am ready headmaster," Pyrrha said before gulping nervously.

Ozpin closed his eyes and nodded his head gently as he slowly pressed his hand against the final function of the monitor before him and took a step back. Immediately, Amber's heart rate began to stutter and her body started to glow yellow. After a few seconds, Pyrrha's body began to glow as well. The machines that Ironwood had designed that was able to detect aura levels and the magic within Amber's soul slowly began to decline, and the headmaster shut his eyes tight and pretended that he didn't hear Pyrrha slowly begin to scream in pain as Amber's aura and the magic that was imbued within it started to merge with her own aura. Now, all that they had to do was wait, and hopefully, in the next few minutes, Pyrrha would be the new fall maiden.

If only it could be that easy. If only anything could ever be easy...

Being so distracted as he was, Ozpin didn't hear the elevator doors behind him open up a second time. Nor did he hear the woman carefully and quietly knot her arrow into her glass bow and pull the string until there was enough force for the arrow to easily pierce through the military-grade bulletproof glass that separated Amber's body from the rest of the world. It happened almost in slow motion. In just a second, his plan failed and Amber in her instinctive panic opened her eyes with a gurgled scream as the arrow pierced into her heart. Already as damaged as she was, all she could think about was her killer, her assailant. The very woman and the last Ozpin would ever want the power to go to.

"No!" He screamed when he saw Amber die. He wanted to tell her to at least not think about Cinder, but it was too late. Amber died just as quickly as she woke up, and a burst of heat exploded from behind him.

Snapping his head around, he met Cinder eye to eye for the second time ever. The magic within her was bubbling, both of her eyes were flaming a bright orange, and she smirked at him a smug smirk as she let her glass bow break apart into shards of glass and turn red with magic, transforming the weapon into two equally sized swords. Cinder's power exploded again, the full power of a season maiden set the room around her on fire. Ozpin narrowed his eyes and drew up his cane, the remaining magic bursting out from within in the form of a smaller and more controlled green flow of aura.

"Ozpin!" Glynda cried out as the man entered a stance.

"Get Miss Nikos out of that tube NOW!" Ozpin shouted to his deputy headmistress.

Glynda wasted no time and used her semblance to tear the front half of the tube off and throw it at Cinder. The fall maiden simply smacked it aside with the back of her hand effortlessly and chuckled.

Pyrrha slipped out on shaky legs. Her aura was flickering with a mixture of yellow and red. Glynda gasped when she saw it, and realized that although Cinder now had the vast majority of the fall maidens power, she was still not complete. Pyrrha had gained just a small fragment of the power herself, so tiny that she probably wouldn't have even been able to bring out any of its abilities. But it was still there. As long as Pyrrha lived, Cinder would never be whole.

"Pyrrha, listen to me." Frantic like she has never been before, Glynda put her hands on Pyrrha's shoulders and shook her until she was attentive. "You need to run, run as far away as you can. Try to get to Atlas if you can. James will protect you, I promise you that."

"I… can help…" Pyrrha said through her dizziness.

"No," Glynda said sternly, gripping her shoulders even more tightly. "You can't. You'd only get in the way and if you die, we are all dead. Run, Pyrrha. Run!"

The combat professor shoved Pyrrha and instinctively the girl began to run. She tried to stop but Glynda used her semblance and picked her up off the ground and _threw _her away. She went soaring past Cinder and slid against the ground and rolled into the wall, slamming against it. Pyrrha picked herself up and looked frantically toward the headmaster and her combat professor, both of them looked back at her and nodded their heads. _Run_, their eyes begged of her.

Pyrrha shut her eyes and pulled herself into the elevator, shooting herself up back to the surface.

"I hope you know that I won't be letting you get away, Glynda." Cinder mocked as she slowly hovered in the air, fire burning all around her and her now amber aura flaring violently. "Nor you or Ozpin. Salem has specifically ordered me to kill you in this attack, and kill you I shall."

"Killing me won't change anything," Ozpin replied. "I always come back, sometimes soon, sometimes later. But I always come back. It is a waste of resources and time to continue your efforts in killing me."

"Perhaps," Cinder accepted. "But that doesn't mean I still won't enjoy it."

"Glynda, move fast and do not stop, not even if you are injured," Ozpin said as Cinder began to move toward them. "The key to defeating a maiden is to let her tire herself out and attack key vital points. I will attack those points, you simply play the role of support. Together, we might just beat her."

"Of course, Ozpin," Glynda said. "We will beat her, we have to. The power of a maiden cannot fall into Salem's hands."

Ozpin couldn't agree more. Cinder dashed forward and he met her in turn, smashing his cane against her swords as their great battle began.

* * *

Marcus dragged his sword out of another terrorist's body and kicked it away. Whipping it to the side, he took a moment to go down on one knee and rest for a few moments. The CCT was in his sights now, though it was still a distance away, after another few minutes of running and fighting he should be able to get there quickly enough. He just started to get tired after minutes of fighting and still recovering his stamina after fighting and defeating Adam Taurus.

"Almost there," He said to himself between deep breaths. "Almost there…" He kept muttering. His mind was numb to the bodies he started to move past. The bodies of the White Fang terrorists didn't really bother him all too much, neither did the bodies of the Atlesian soldiers that had given their lives to protect the innocent. It was the bodies of the teenagers and huntsmen that bothered him ever so slightly. Teenagers, children, who wanted to train to become a huntsman and most wanted to become a hero one way or the other. It was a sad and pitiful life, and one that he almost fell into if it weren't for the tragedy of Glenn. No, instead he was trained to become an assassin, a murdered, a killer, and a warrior. Yet these bodies made him remember better times. Some of those huntsmen were people he remembered going to class with decades ago, the bodies of teenagers made him remember Mercury, who's life was dictated by his father's past actions, and Blake, the faunus girl that was now part of his mind and memories. Along with Summer's sympathies and the empathy from all the others that he had killed, it made him feel bad for them.

He couldn't slow down though, he could cut through a building and take a shortcut to get to Glenn. The building was a dormitory that was mixed with staff and older students if he remembered correctly. Marcus started running toward the door, pulling out his pistol and firing off the rest of the rounds toward the Grimm that noticed him and started charging. He dove over a hedge in the courtyard and slid along the grass, letting the charging Ursa Major lose its footing in the slippery mud and sliding away uncontrollably a good distance. Nothing else was able to get in his way, and Marcus slammed the doors shut behind him and knocked over a nearby vending machine and blocked the door behind him with it. It may have just doomed some people that were running away from the Grimm and the combat, but he doubted anyone would try and get through the Grimm just so that they could get into a building that was riddled with combat anyway.

He wasn't given any break as he heard the sound of a gunfight echoing throughout the halls. He started running, the eerie silence eating away at him as the bullets stopped flying through the air. Nothing happening during a battle like this either meant a higher intelligent lifeform of Grimm, or an ambush waiting to happen. Marcus began to slow as he began to hear the sound of sobbing, and gingerly crept his way to a corner and peeked around it quietly. What he saw was the ending of a battle. An injured Atlesian soldier was behind cover and two civilians did their best to try and heal him. All around them was a massacre of bodies, though none of them looked like they were killed by Grimm. They were mostly all killed by gunshot wounds or by melee attacks. But what caught Marcus' eye the most was that the Atlesian soldiers weren't just fighting White Fang members, but also people that didn't bear the Grimm mask, but instead a green handkerchief that wrapped around their arms or face. It was one of the gangs that Marcus had recruited. A mixture of them actually. Some of Junior's old men laid dead, Rox was actually dead in the corner of the room, and as he continued to scan the area, he found Tenne. Also hiding behind cover, barely injured, but desperately trying to save the life of one of her colleagues.

Marcus raised his eyebrow at the sight, it didn't look like either side was going to be fighting right now, so he just walked straight through the center and toward Tenne. Drawing his sword out slowly as he stepped onto her cover and knocked it down, terrifying the snake faunus as she jumped away with her double-ended spear at the ready.

"You know he's already dead, right?" Marcus asked as he gestured to the dead body underneath him.

"Marcus," Tenne hissed as she narrowed her eyes at him. "I should have known that my life would end by your hands…"

"Well…" Marcus turned his chin up and looked down at the snake faunus. She was trembling, scared, only standing on her two shaky feet purely out of will and determination. She obviously didn't want to fight him, and only felt like she had to. She wasn't even holding her spear with proper form. If he really wanted to, he could just twist her spear out of her hands and stab her with it. If they fought, he'd win immediately. There was no doubt in his mind about that. "It doesn't _have _to, per say. I can tell that you don't want to fight."

"Hah!" Tenne forced out a barked laugh. "As if you think I'd have a choice. Lady Cinder expects me to fight for her, and so I will."

"Did she also say that she was going to use you and your men to kill innocent people?" Marcus gestured to the dead bodies around him, Tenne winced visibly. "Did you know that she was going to bring Grimm into Vale and Beacon and try to destroy the entire kingdom? Tell me that you honestly think that you would have agreed to such a thing, and I'll just kill you where you stand and stop wasting time trying out this whole _mercy _thing again."

"I…" Tenne shook her head and stepped back. "No, I wouldn't have agreed to this… this is _not _what I had in mind. This is senseless violence, and little else."

"So are you going to fight for that?" Marcus asked.

Tenne laughed bitterly. "You are a smart man, Marcus Black. So you can see what little choice I have in this situation. If I don't fight, I will be punished and most likely killed. If not by Cinder than by my own men. If I fight, then you will kill me. And I'd rather-"

Marcus shot forward and grabbed Tenne's spear and twisted it out of her hands by the time she even realized he was in front of her. Disarmed in seconds, Marcus threw his fist into her stomach and landed a devastating blow. Tenne's eyes bulged from her skull and she fell down to her knees, her aura flickering and showing Marcus that she was low on it from the very start. Marcus raised the spear in his hands and looked at it, before shrugging and throwing it away. Discarding the weapon.

"And now you can't fight anymore," Marcus stated the obvious. "I guess that means you lose."

"J-Just get it over with, Black…"

"Now, now…" Marcus went down to one knee and flipped Tenne over on her back. "I don't have to kill every idiot who tries to pick a fight with someone they can't hope to beat. You have the opportunity to make this easy for everyone, call back your men and get out of the city. Together, you'll probably be able to escape into the outskirts and find a village. From there, make your way to Mistral or something. Maybe Vacuo."

"I… I can't just… Cinder." Tenne reminded him.

"Don't worry about her." Marcus stood up and turned his back on the defeated snake faunus. "I'll take care of her myself."

Tenne let out a bark of laughter at that, then raised a hand up to her ear and pushed down on a device. "Calling all members," She began. "Retreat into Vale, this battle is not worth fighting. Rendezvous with me if you can, I will be retreating as well. We're done with this."

Marcus stopped in place and nodded his head to himself. He didn't really think that he'd be able to get to Tenne like he did, but it wasn't like he gave her much of a choice and he caught her in a vulnerable time. Good timing, he supposed. This way he saves lives and eliminates yet another of Cinder's lieutenants. Now she was alone, and once the White Fang spread the news of Adam's death, they'd quickly begin to disperse as well. He wasn't one to boast often, but he was a little proud of himself here.

"You better beat her, Marcus Black." Tenne hissed as she pushed herself onto her hands and knees, still coughing from the strike done to her by the man. "End this, or none of us will ever be safe."

Marcus just gave her a thumbs-up as her only reply as he walked away. There was little resistance to him as he made his way through the building and out an exit. The CCT was close now, he could look up and see its tip in the clouds. Almost there…

* * *

When the Bullhead landed, Ruby, her two teammates, and Jaunes team stepped out and immediately went to work. It turned out that Ironwood had a specific set of Bullheads that would take some of the students back to Beacon who were healthy enough to continue fighting and reinforce the other huntsmen and soldiers that Beacon and Atlas had at their disposal. Ruby and Jaune decided that they would go to Beacon for Pyrrha and to help their friends, while some other groups made the harder decision to go down into Vale to protect the citizens that were now being threatened by Grimm and terrorism.

If Ruby still had her semblance, she would have sped across and killed some of the Grimm by now. But instead, she allowed Weiss and Yang to take the front while she shifted Crescent Rose into its sniper form and took position alongside Ren, whom they agreed would stay behind to help her just in case any Grimm or members of the White Fang got close enough to render her sniper useless. Ruby still had aura and she was still a huntress in training, but they didn't want to take the risk of her getting overwhelmed. They sent Weiss, Yang, Jaune, and Nora forward to help the Atlesian soldiers who looked like they were in the most trouble as they clashed against the opposition. The White Fang were unprepared to fight aura wielders and it showed in the way they were quickly dismantled and separated from each other. Yang knocked out two and Jaune took down a third and pinned them to the ground while Weiss and Nora took care of the rest. After rendering them all unconscious or disarmed to the point of surrender, they handed them off to the soldiers who then proceeded to start tying them up to make sure that they wouldn't get up again to attack them from behind.

They shared a few words and they pointed them in the direction of a horde of Grimm that had pinned down a team of students in trouble, Ruby shifted Crescent Rose back into its scythe state and lead the charge, the rest of her friends at her back as they made their way to the unmistakable tide of black that relentlessly pushed itself at a team of students they recognized to have once been a part of the Vytal Festival tournament. Ruby used her training given by Qrow and Harriet and went low to the ground and fired Crescent Rose. Thankfully, Qrow used the same style and didn't have a speed semblance, so she always knew that it was possible to fight with her style without immense speed. After a few altercations, ruthless training both physical and mental, Ruby was able to find a way to fight without relying solely on her speed like she once did before. The first Grimm found a curved silver blade slicing through its shoulder and it roared in pain. Ruby let the blade cut all the way through until the tip of the blade stabbed into the ground, the barrel of Crescent Rose in front of the Grimm's face. She pulled the trigger and she flipped backward through the air to bleed off the momentum and landed on her feet. It left her open, but Yang and Weiss were quick to come to her aid. Yang slammed her fist into the jaw of an Ursa and punched it straight off its skull while Weiss poked holes in its body with her saber. Jaune and Nora followed and worked together to disperse a pack of Beowolves that tried to flank them from behind and Ren used his submachine guns to take down a Creep that tried to flank them from the other side.

The advantage was quickly won over to their side, and Penny hadn't even gotten involved yet. She was making sure that no Grimm would catch them off guard while they were dealing with the more immediate threats. By the time the pack was destroyed, Penny had landed behind them, revealing herself to have some kind of thrusters in her feet that allowed her to fly into the sky like some kind of superhero. Any other day of the week or at any other time, and Ruby might have fawned over it. Not now though, she had to make sure that the team she had just saved were okay.

"Neon!" Ruby called out once she saw the rainbow-haired girl. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Neon sighed explosively as she wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her lips and rolled up to her. "A little beat up, but we're fine, right guys?"

"Yeah," Flynt gave them all a thumbs up.

"Eh," The other two said, too tired to give a more straightforward answer.

"Alright, that's good. Go get yourselves back to the docking stations over there," Ruby said, gesturing to the direction they had just come from. "There are more people over there, and soldiers, they can help protect you and can take care of anyone who needs help. Maybe even get you back in the fight."

"Heh, thanks Little Red!" Neon gestured wildly for her teammates. "Let's go boys!"

Ruby watched them all go with a nod, then looked around to make sure that her own friends were okay. They all nodded back at her in turn, they were fine. She had to tell herself. They could take care of themselves and she is probably at the most risk out of all of them. She was the one with reduced aura and no semblance.

A screech and a blast of wind came out of nowhere and knocked them all down. Instinctively, Ruby reached up to cup her ears and protect her head, and thankfully nothing else came. She opened her silver eyes and looked up at the massive Grimm Wyvern that had clawed its way out of a mountain. It was bigger and more powerful than she ever thought a Grimm creature could get. It must have been centuries of years old, maybe even older than that. All this negativity in Vale and Beacon must have been enough to wake it up, and it was so evil and full of darkness that the drops of blood that the Atlesian battleships were able to incite were creating pools of darkness that spawned even more Grimm. Dozens of freshly spawned Grimm of all types came out of each pool before it dried out and evaporated away. Ruby already knew what she had to do before she even got herself back up to her feet. Looking up at the Grimm Wyvern, her silver eyes narrowed.

"Are you guys thinking what I am thinking?" She asked as she cocked in an armour piercing dust round into Crescent Rose.

"We're going to have to take that thing down," Jaune said, agreeing with her. "Can we do it?"

"We're not going to know until we try!" Nora exclaimed excitedly. "I always wanted to slay the dragon, does this mean I am going to be the start of a new fairy tale?"

"If we survive, yes," Ren answered.

"We will survive," Weiss added, determined.

"And we'll be remembered around the whole world as the slayers of the dragon!" Yang exclaimed as she slammed her fists together and activated her semblance.

Ruby agreed with all of them, but they had other things to worry about at the moment. Penny stood away from them, being oddly silent as she looked up at the massive flying Grimm and just… thinking? She didn't know. Penny could fly up there and fight the creature herself, but despite how powerful she was down there, she doubted that she could take the thing on all by herself unless she was hiding even more from her than she originally thought. That thought burned away quickly as the freshly spawned Grimm started to growl and snarl at them, noticing and sensing their presence. The students got ready to do battle, suddenly surrounded by Grimm, Penny activated her swords and hovered into the air once more, her green eyes glowing brightly as she began to exert more of her auxiliary power. Ruby fired her first shot but instead of just a normal armour piercing bullet a blur of yellow lightning burst out and slew a fifth of the Grimm in the blink of an eye. Ruby cheered at the familiar gust of wind as Harriet slid to a stop, her usual smug expression on her face as her own speed semblance crackled all around her.

"STAY!" Another member of the Ace Ops called outright as a large crowd of Grimm began to pounce on Jaune. While they were suspended in the air in some kind of slow time dilation semblance, a large hand made of pure aura came down and crushed them all into paste on the pavement. Two more huntsmen poured out and landed around them, a dark-skinned man and a man with strange markings on his forehead. Both of them still had bandages on them for their agitated injuries. Marrow and Vine, Ruby remembered them.

"Hah!" A tall and buff dark-skinned woman landed beside them next. One of her arms was injured and the other was replaced by a bionic one, she smiled smugly and stomped her feet on the ground. Encasing them with aura as her semblance activated. "Found the dragon, Clover!"

"It's a Wyvern, or whatever." The leader of the Ace Ops said as he stepped up and stood beside his team. "No one really cares. What are you kids doing out here?"

"We're here to help!" Ruby exclaimed right away. "Beacon is our home too, we want to-"

"Okay, good. You lot will support us." Clover looked to Penny. "Just don't get in our way, and Penny, everything okay up here?" He asked, pointing to his head and implying a deeper question.

Penny looked at him with the same blank expression. "The virus has been eliminated from my system and I went further to put up multiple firewalls to stop it from affecting me or the mechs and attack droids."

"Good to hear," Clover said with a gentle nod. Then looked back to the others. "We'll work together, for now, that thing needs to be taken down - it's causing way too much damage to the school and the battleships aren't enough to take it down. It's just too fast. We have to disable it somehow. You," He pointed to Ruby. "Don't you have a powerful sniper rifle?"

"I do," Ruby confirmed.

"Wait for our signal, and you'll know when to shoot and where," Clover said. "Everyone else, when the dragon collides with the ground, that will be your signal to attack. Use everything at your disposal, and aim for the wings, neck, eyes, inside of the mouth, whatever. Just make sure it doesn't get back up."

Ruby and Jaune's team felt the sudden urge to salute the man, they didn't, but the urge was there.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Marcus heaved and let out a long exhale of air. Finally, he made it to the CCT. It took a lot of fighting, killing, and quickly sneaking in order for him to just get in the general vicinity of the building. But he'd finally made it. He was getting tired after all that fighting. Scratch that, he was already tired after all of that fighting and killing. He hardly had any time to catch a breath. Being strapped to the chair for so long barely moving must have caused his muscles to atrophy some amount. It wasn't that much, but it was noticeable. If he hadn't been stuck in that chair and was able to keep himself in shape, he probably wouldn't be nearly as tuckered out as he was now.

Oh well, that's what he gets for trying to be the good guy all of a sudden. He'd need to beat Cinder and whatever else lied ahead with what he had. At the very worst, Cinder was a full-powered maiden, but at least she would be tired. At the very best, she has already been killed by Ozpin or something. It would have saved him a whole lot of trouble, though the likelihood of the latter being the case was beyond slim, it was at least an amusing thought as Marcus trekked through the final meters and touched the handles of the doors before him.

He swung them open and immediately regretted his decision. He was a fool to think that the CCT would be as empty as it was the first time he infiltrated the building all the way back during the dance. There were White Fang and Grimm already invading and actually fighting amongst themselves. It was a three-way battle, including the Atlesian soldiers and huntsmen that fought as well. Four-way if he included himself as well and since he doubted he'd be considered an ally by the hunters and soldiers.

"Why is it never easy?" Marcus asked out loud as he loaded his second to last clip. Now there was just one left. "It's never easy… it's always something." After taking a second to catch his breath, he prepared himself mentally and dashed in with enhanced speed. One of the advantages he had was that the Grimm would attack everything that breathed, and so they considered nothing other than their own kind to be an ally. So he wrapped around and covered himself and shot his pistol with one hand, aiming for the White Fang members and catching a few but not landing any fatal blows. He took cover briefly around a stone pillar and looked for the nearest elevator, then scratched the idea of an elevator in favor of not being pinned down in an enclosed space and looked for the stairwell instead. He found it all the way across the room, and of course, guarded by Atleisan soldiers. With a resigned sigh, Marcus dashed forward and weaved his way through the small horde of Grimm. Smashed his elbow into the face of a terrorist, broke his mask and then stabbed another quickly in a lightning-fast in-n-out maneuver. Now suddenly with two men down, the White Fang was forced to pull a tactical retreat. Which attracted the attention of the Grimm and gave the soldiers the confidence to push forward.

It served as a double-edged plan for him as the soldiers noticed him quickly, and recognized him instantly. Wasting no time and not hesitating for even a second, Marcus charged forward and shoulder-bashed the first soldier in the abdomen and carried him a few feet forward. The other soldiers cursed and didn't open fire as he ran past them when they made way as to not be barreled over and potentially knocked out as a result. Marcus, still holding the soldier, twisted around and held his gun to his head, making a clear threat to the other soldiers and huntsmen to back off or else he'd kill the man. They were spouting orders and demands in a sad attempt to try and negotiate with him, but Marcus was having none of it, barely paying attention to them as he inched his way closer to the entrance of the stairwell behind him.

As soon as his back hit the door he kicked the man forward with his bionic leg, sending the man tumbling forward and landing on his hands and knees. A hail fire of bullets followed immediately after, but not before Marcus could slam the door shut behind him and start rushing up the stairs.

His thighs burned and his muscles screamed at him as he jumped up three or four steps at a time. Not stopping for even a second. He would go up one flight of stairs in less than three seconds. Minutes passed, and he found himself glancing at the sign that told him he was on the fifty-second floor. Just about thirty away from the top into Ozpin's office. The thing is, he knew that Amber was _somewhere _in the building, but not where she was exactly. As much as he would have loved to be as smart as some of the media claimed him to be, he didn't know everything.

Marcus heaved and kept jumping up entire flights of stairs, and cursed when the stairwell stopped at Floor 70 and didn't go any higher. It was likely because of people like him who had ill-intent and wanted to do something malicious in or to the CCT. That was the reason Cinder insisted on him taking the elevator up despite the risk of him getting pinned down and trapped. With no other option, he refused to waste time going all the way back down to take the elevator. He checked how many rounds he had in his clip and made sure a bullet was in the chamber, then gripped his knife in a reverse grip, and pushed through the last door to the seventieth floor.

It wasn't nearly as destroyed as the earlier floors he'd seen on the way up, but it was still a mess. He didn't know how, but it seemed that the White Fang had fought their way all the way up to even this floor. No Grimm were up here, but this was where the strongest of the White Fang were. Which meant that the strongest huntsmen were up there fighting against them as well. It didn't take a lot of thought on who those huntsmen may be. There were only a scarce few that could be considered the very best huntsmen in Vale. Qrow was one of them, and despite being a little out of practice, Taiyang was still up there as well. And given that this was the CCT, the very building in which the disabled fall maiden may be hiding, they would be fighting tooth and nail to protect her.

He could already hear them fighting, Marcus wiped the sweat from his brow and slowly pushed the door open and slipped into one of the computer rooms where people could contact others across Remnant thanks to the CCT connection. There wasn't much space to take cover usually, but now that there was a round of fighting and dust explosives going off in every which direction, there was enough rubble and debris that Marcus could use to hide and take cover if need be.

There hadn't been a need at all, he quickly realized as he saw the two men he suspected already to be just at the tail end of their battle. White Fang members, some of them being dressed differently from the others and assumed to be higher-ranking officers, lied on the ground either unconscious or dead. He watched and waited for Qrow to be done with the last two, who were both fox faunus of some kind, and it didn't take long for the older huntsman to ultimately take them both down and knock them out. The minute he did, he looked around to make sure there weren't any more enemies, missing Marcus as he hid in the darkest part of the room behind cover, and went down to one knee.

"Is that round six down?" Taiyang asked, sitting down on the floor and against the wall, holding his abdomen which was bleeding from a wound. It wasn't deep and it didn't look fatal, but most likely he was out of the fight for now. Considering there were about a dozen of the opposition. Most likely, the blonde hunter was overwhelmed and got hurt because of it. Numbers did sometimes triumph over quality. Sometimes there just wasn't enough you could do.

"If there's going to be a seven, I'd rather it happen in a few minutes so I have time to catch my breath," Qrow said with a heave. He was much less injured than his partner, with only a few bruises and a reduced aura count. But he was still able to fight, which spoke much of his skill. "Damn, I really regret sending the girl away, she would have been helpful here."

"A tenth of a tenth of the fall maidens power wouldn't have been enough to do anything," Taiyang pointed out.

"I know, but at least she would have _been _here." Qrow barked back. "Maybe then you wouldn't be on your ass with a hole in your stomach. Seriously, you really let yourself go."

"The hole isn't that big…" Taiyang grumbled under his breath before a pained chuckle escaped from his lips. "I'll live, I… I just need to sit out for a bit."

"I'll handle things from here," Qrow narrowed his eyes as he scanned the room a second time. Getting serious once again. "You just sit tight, let me show you why I'm the strongest huntsman in all of Vale."

"Sure, go for it," Taiyang muttered.

Marcus sat behind his cover contemplating on what he should do. The elevator was near to where he was sitting, but in order to get there, he needed to cross open space. Where Qrow would undoubtedly spot him and attack. If he wasn't on a time limit, he would have taken his time. Watching from the darkness until Qrow blinked, turned his head away, yawned, anything that would blur or darken his vision for even a second. Maybe he would have even tried to scale the building from the outside. Unfortunately, he still didn't have the luxury of time on his side. He went through every other way he could think of to get past Qrow and Taiyang without a fight, but in the end, he always knew what he had to do. They weren't going to just let him pass, and Qrow despite his boasts really was as strong and smart as he said. At least when it came to fighting.

Stopping himself from hesitating any longer, Marcus stood up from his hiding spot shrouded in darkness and stepped out into the light, his red shirt shined in the moonlight as it glowed behind Qrow's back. Immediately, two pairs of red and blue respectively locked onto his figure, and Qrow scowled at him. He stood up and drew his weapon, the thick heavy sword shimmering in the light as he aimed it at him.

"You," Qrow sneered. "I should have known you would have taken this chance to escape. Damn it, I told Oz that he should have left someone to watch you!"

"You and I both know that still wouldn't have stopped me." Marcus pointed out. "And where did all this animosity come from? I haven't told a lie since I got here, you know I'm here for a reason and that isn't so I can fuck with you two."

"You're still a murderer," Taiyang said as he tried to force himself to stand up, only to cry out in pain and slide back down. Giving him, he settled for a glare. "You still hurt my daughters and killed their teammate. If you think we're going to trust you just because you weren't actually the one who killed Summer, you have another thing coming."

"Not from you, I'm sure," Marcus remarked. "Funny how every time something terrible is happening you're stuck somewhere on your ass. Let me see… Mountain Glenn you were all but useless, you let Summer go try and find me _by herself_, and before that, I'm guessing Raven left you? I'm going to go with that since she isn't here and you look like you want to pull my spine out through my balls all of a sudden."

"Don't let him get in your head Tai," Qrow warned. "That's how he wins. By manipulation and dirty tactics. I would know, I do the same thing."

"You can't beat me Qrow," Marcus warned, forcing down his own fatigue and taking an open stance. "You couldn't beat me even with help from that Schnee woman. What makes you think you can beat me all by yourself as exhausted as you are already?"

"Heh, I never needed that woman anyway. She just got in the way. Luckily she won't be doing that again while she's happily sitting up in Jimmy's flagship right now." Qrow smirked and held his sword with both hands. Marcus narrowed his eyes at the man. "Let's see how you do when you don't have explosives set up in trains to give you an edge. This is just you and me now, no tricks lying in wait, no back up for either of us."

"This is going to be the last time we fight, Qrow," Marcus warned. "Just let me go in this elevator, and you can forget that I was even here."

"Not a chance, old friend." Qrow shook his head.

Marcus snickered and shook his head. It always ended like this, with the exception of Tenne, everyone always had something to fight for. They always wanted to do the impossible. He guessed that was just a part of being human. The inner desire to prove fate wrong and get the ending that _you _desired instead of what was laid out for you. Marcus himself was an example of that. If he didn't desire change, he would still be on Cinder's side and helping her get the maiden's powers right now. The hardest part about it was that he understood it.

However, that didn't change anything.

He had to stop Cinder, and right now whether he knew it or not, Qrow was in his way.

Which meant that he needed to be dealt with.

In a flash of white Marcus shot forward like a bullet and across the room Qrow did the same. They met in the middle and their weapons clashed. Despite the size, Qrow wielded Harbinger like it was any normal sword, and because of its size, Marcus' much smaller weapon in comparison wouldn't be able to survive a great number of strikes against it. Marcus pushed the sword up further against Qrow's blade, metal ground against metal and it was so loud that both men winced at the noise. As Marcus' sword reached the end of Qrow's, he used his other hand to grab the pommel of Qrow's weapon and twisted it. It was a simple trick, but a very old one. Qrow was forced to change his grip lest he lose his sword entirely, and with his open hand, he pushed Marcus away with a palm punch.

The white-haired man staggered but kept his balance. Flipping away when Qrow shifted his weapon into a scythe quickly and dashed forward him in a familiar yet much more enhanced maneuver to Ruby's. This was the man who taught her everything she knew, so of course he'd have some of her moves. Somehow, he did it even faster than she did. Marcus raised his metal leg and clashed it against Qrow's curved blade. If it was flesh and blood, the leg might have been torn off. But thanks to his bionics, he was able to perform a parry and kick the weapon away. Giving him the time to whip out his pistol and smash the barrel into Qrow's face. He was about to pull the trigger but felt a shotgun blast explode from his midsection. His eyes bulged out of his face as he was sent flying backward and toward the wall. Qrow slid to a stop, the barrel from the tip of his scythe smoking as a small trickle of blood leaked down his face from his forehead.

The barrel of Marcus' barrel smoked as well, and while he was shot in the chest by a shotgun he managed to just graze Qrow with a shot of his own. He stopped himself before he could slam into the wall, kicking off it with a display of athleticism and landing on his feet. The moment he made contact with the ground he charged forward, ignoring the stinging pain in his chest as the pellets from Qrow's shotgun fell off and rushed the man before he could catch his breath.

Qrow cursed and swung his scythe in a wide arc to gain some space. Marcus jumped over and twisted in the air, dodging the attack and landing on his feet to continue his charge. Qrow stepped back a few more times and half-shifted his scythe into a curved sword and slashed at Marcus from an angle.

Marcus snapped his head to the side and twisted his body along with it. Spinning on his heel, he faced Qrow again from his side. Instead of stabbing him in the side and bouncing off of aura, Marcus stabbed his blade into the exposed cogs in the hilt of his weapon. Qrow cursed as the cogs suddenly stopped turning and snapped, causing his weapon to now be permanently stuck in its half-transformed state. His weapon now losing many of its primary functions. Marcus went low as Qrow tried to throw a punch into his face. He tried to uppercut from his low position, but his legs crossed each other and he stumbled. Qrow kicked his leg out and Marcus barely crossed one arm across his chest in time to block it, but he was pushed back and tipped over because of it. He rolled backward and tumbled through, landing back on his feet.

Only to widen his eyes as he had to cross his arms again to stop Harbinger from clashing with his chest directly. Qrow had thrown his weapon at him and now they were _both _disarmed. Marcus still had his gun, but with how fast Qrow was running at him right now he dropped it in favor of preparing himself for hand to hand combat.

They were both just as good with their hands as they were with their weapons. The sound of knuckles smacking against skin and the clap of hits and blocks and the whips of air were all too audible as Qrow and Marcus brawled. Their hands were blurs in the air as they moved and fought. The blows that landed bruised and damaged the aura and skin. It came down to a battle of stamina and pain tolerance. Qrow lacking in the former substantially. While he proved himself to actually be better than Marcus at hand to hand, he was just too exhausted in his current state to actually defeat him.

Marcus ducked under a punch and slammed his fist into Qrow's abdomen. After hearing his grunt. He leaned back and slid under another, bringing his fist up to smash it into Qrow's chin. The man's head whipped back but he still lashed out and caught his cheek with a strike of his own. But Marcus pushed through the pain and tripped the man over, falling with him as he was grabbed. Qrow tried to choke him out by putting him in a guillotine submission hold, but Marcus didn't let his head get caught tight and slipped out of it. Now on top and straddling the older man, he threw his fists down to try and batter Qrow into unconsciousness. Qrow didn't let it happen for long, and grabbed Marcus' forearm and pushed him off of him after a quick jab to his throat. Marcus fell onto his side but rolled away just in time for Qrow to miss and slam his hand into the floor. Both men rolled away, but Qrow cursed when he saw Marcus continue his rolling until he grabbed the hilt of the blade he had stuck into Qrow's weapon to disable it. He couldn't be careful in it, and the sword was destroyed and broken into metal pieces as Marcus finally managed to get _some _of it out. Now it was just a hunk of sharpened metal at the end of a hilt, no longer than a finger. Marcus took that and used it however he could, pushing Qrow back by slashing through the air. The two of them circled one another, constant feints being thrown out by the other side as Qrow was careful to try and find a way to disarm or even steal Marcus' broken weapon.

After an exchange of a few back and forth probing attacks, Qrow lunged forward and grabbed Marcus sword wrist with his left hand as Marcus stopped Qrow's other hand from reaching for his neck. The two of them pushed against each other for a few moments, but Marcus proved to be the more physically stronger man and pushed Qrow back step by step.

Qrow cried out as Marcus threw his thigh up into the butt of the hilt of his broken weapon and stabbed Qrow in the hip, breaking his aura and drawing blood. Without the enhancement of aura, Qrow became significantly weaker, but not so much that he was any less dangerous. He still had his strength and his will. He pushed Marcus' wrist out and forced the shiv out of his body. Marcus pulled back and gripped the weapon with both hands, Qrow widened his eyes as his back struck a wall and all of a sudden the shiv was scratching against his chest where his heart was located. Marcus pushed and pushed, and Qrow fought to push him back. Even going as far as to spit in Marcus' face to try and stagger him. All it did was anger Marcus, and he slammed his palm into the butt of the hilt, forcing the blade to stab into Qrow's chest muscles.

"No!" Taiyang cried helplessly as Marcus stabbed the shiv into Qrow's chest. It didn't go deep enough, only about an inch or two, so Marcus took Qrow by the shoulder and in a gesture that looked almost like a hug, forcing the shiv all the way down to the hilt and stabbing Qrow in one of the major arteries of the heart.

Qrow slowly lost his fight and he was held there against the wall with a shiv in his chest as Marcus stared sadly into his eyes. What was strange to him was that he wasn't dying yet, instead, Marcus helped the man walk and lead him back to where Taiyang was sitting, and helped him fall down until his butt hit the floor.

"The blade is in one of the major arteries of your heart," Marcus told him. "If you pull it out you will bleed to death. If you want to see your nieces again and not leave them without an uncle, you'll leave that in there. I didn't steal your semblance so you should be able to recover your aura and heal on your own. I wouldn't want a shitty semblance like yours right now anyway."

Qrow looked down in disbelief, the amount of accuracy one would need to actually manage to stab a man in the heart and _not _kill them? He couldn't help but chuckle through the pain.

Marcus leaned back and let his fatigue show, heaving for breath and wiping the spittle off of his face from when Qrow spit at him. "Don't say I never did anything good for you."

"Heh…" Qrow sighed, somehow finding it easy to breathe with a knife in his heart. "Just when I finally thought I knew who you were, you pull this shit."

"I don't understand," Taiyang said. "Why are you doing this? What is your goal here?"

"Didn't I tell you the answer to that question already?" Marcus asked with a bitter chuckle. "I want to be free. I can't exactly be free with Cinder on the loose and I sure as hell can't be free if I kill you two. Besides, I have a promise to keep. I intend to keep it."

"You're doing all of this because of a promise you made over a decade ago?" Qrow asked.

Marcus shrugged his shoulders as if to say "_What can you do?" _As his reply.

"Just go," Taiyang said once his chuckles finally settled down. "Ozpin and the maiden are underneath the CCT. Cinder already got the maiden's powers." Marcus cursed silently after hearing that. "If you're quick, you might be able to get down there in time to help him. I'm not sure he'd ally with you, but if it meant taking her down, I'm sure he'd make an exception."

"Damn it," Marcus stood up and tossed his gun in Qrow's lap. "Use that just in case any more White Fang get up here. There's about three shots left and you have one more clip," He said as he tossed the magazine in his lap next. "Make your shots count."

"Sure." Qrow lazily replied. "Just go, don't make me regret not using this to shoot you in the back."

"Wouldn't be the first time…" Marcus muttered as he stepped away from the two men. They looked at him and told him to go a second time, and Marcus turned his back to them, almost expecting to be shot as he left, but for once, he didn't get that feeling that it was something that was going to happen.

The elevator dinged as it's doors opened up, and with one last two-finger wave, the doors shut in front of him. The buttons glowed, but he knew that there had to be some trick to it. Officially, Beacon's tower didn't _have _a basement. So there had to be some special function that got Ozpin and whoever he wanted down there. Marcus went down to one knee and connected his scroll to the elevator's system and went to work. There were dozens of floors beneath him, but nothing beneath ground level. After quickly going through the motions of hacking and delving deeper into the code, he found it. It was simply labeled as B. Marcus felt air rush out of his nose in relief as the elevator started to move down.

He had exactly ten seconds to catch his breath before something in the shape of a fireball _punched _through the elevator and came out through the other side. How the elevator didn't immediately explode or for the brakes on it to break, was a miracle. Marcus cursed and stomped on the little pools of fire that was left behind. Once he was sure that the fire wouldn't cause any more problems, he looked up through the hole that something had made.

Up above in the higher parts of the elevator shaft, a blast of fire was still visible, though it shortly began to wink out into a much smaller and more controlled heat and after another few moments, it completely went out. There was only one explanation.

Cinder wasn't in Beacon's basement anymore.

"Damn it!" Marcus rushed to the control panel on the elevator and pushed its buttons. Of course, nothing happened and by the time he'd be able to rig the elevator to go back up, he didn't if know if it _could _go up anymore.

If Cinder was up there at the top of the tower, then that meant that Ozpin lost. Which meant that he was dead and there was no real point in going down there. Cinder had the powers and that meant that she had to be stopped as soon as possible before she had time to master those powers and become even more dangerous than she already was. Cursing, Marcus resigned himself to going down into the basement, there was nothing he could do until it got to the bottom. Maybe there could be something he could salvage as a weapon of any kind of armour so he could use that against Cinder. Because right now, all he had was his fists and will. Which just simply wasn't going to be enough to stop her.

The elevator taunted him with one last ding as it made it to the bottom. The doors somehow still had power to slide open. Well, one of them did anyway, and Marcus stepped out to see the carnage that was left behind from Cinder and Ozpin's battle.

Ozpin wasn't alone, he quickly realized when he came across the burned and lacerated body of Glynda Goodwitch. He knelt down beside her to see if she was somehow still alive, but with a sigh, he found that she was certainly deceased, he closed her panicked wide green eyes and left her body there. He didn't know the woman at all other than by her name. But to be a professor of Beacon, she had to be a good woman at the very least.

Looking around the room again, it was torn up and destroyed. Fire was everywhere and nothing there could really be salvaged. In some vain sense of hope, he looked for Amber herself. Only to sigh at the sight of an arrow plunged deeper into her heart, dead. He continued to look around and came across shards of broken black glass. At least it looked like Ozpin and Glynda put up a decent fight, though Marcus wondered how Ozpin _could _have lost. If the story was right, then he was an ancient warrior with thousands of years under his belt and magical properties. By all means, he should have had the advantage here. Was it because he was old? Marcus didn't know how or what happened, but Ozpin lost. And he found the upper half of his body sticking out of a pile of rubble near the center of the room. Barely breathing.

"So, you're still alive eh?" Marcus said as he went down to one knee. Looking at Ozpin's current state, there was no saving him. It was a wonder how he was still alive now. "Resilient bastard, if only you weren't paralyzed from the waist down."

"Your crude sense of humor… ceases to amuse me…" Ozpin croaked out, not even able to look up at the man. "What… are you…"

"I'm here to kill Cinder," Marcus said with a sigh and took a second look around the room. "I hoped that you'd handle that for me, but it seems that even you have your limits."

"Off… guard…" The old man whispered. "Glynda… is… she…"

"She's dead," Marcus said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Damn… it…" Ozpin barely balled his hand into a fist. "All… the time… I fail… every… time… Mistakes… Lives… Damn this… curse…"

Marcus let the man have his time to rave and rant. Even if it only came out as grumbles and curses about Gods and things that Marcus simply did not understand. It lasted for but a minute before Ozpin ran out of breath and coughed up a violent amount of blood. Marcus did the decent thing and wiped some of it off of Ozpin's lips, giving him the cleanest visage he could get in the last moments of this life.

"Mar… cus…" Ozpin croaked out his name.

"What is it?"

"Are you… friend… or foe…?"

"I can be either, depending on the circumstances." Marcus sighed. "But right now, we're allies."

Ozpin in spite of his pain, smirked and pointed to a part of the wall across the hallway. Marcus didn't know what he was supposed to be looking at, but he trusted that Ozpin was doing this for a reason.

"Your weapons and armour… in there." Ozpin said with a cough. "Take them… Use them… Kill Cinder… Please." He opened his hand.

"Hmph," Marcus nodded his head and clasped his hands with Ozpin's. "I will. I'm your only hope right now I'm guessing?"

Ozpin didn't reply, his head fell and the grip he had on Marcus' hand went limp. With a quiet sigh, Marcus looked down at the man's body. He felt… a certain degree of sadness as he looked at the man. He couldn't imagine what he has been through over the countless decades and centuries. There was a popular saying that right before someone dies, they show their true colors and face. Ozpin was a desperate man who wanted to save the world even if he had to do it with nothing but his bare hands. Over the course of his life - This life, anyway. Ozpin was a friend, a teacher, an enemy, and an unlikely ally all in the span of a few decades.

Marcus didn't particularly look up to the man, but he respected him.

"Good luck in the next life, old man." He said as he slipped his hand out of Ozpin's and stood. "I'll try to make it a little easier for you."

With that parting goodbye, Marcus went on to the panel on the wall that Ozpin pointed to before he finally died. When he made it, the panel was a slightly different shade of green from the rest of the scenery. Just slightly, but noticeable now that Marcus was so up close to it. He placed his hands around the wall to see if there was some mechanism to unlatch it from the wall, but he found it suspiciously easy when the panel came off with little resistance.

Inside the panel was like looking at the inside of a safe. His hand cannon and his knives were all there, along with his armour and his ammo. All neatly stacked, and with a note on the top of it. It was addressed to him. With a snort, Marcus reached forward and opened it.

"_Marcus," _It read. "_I am on a time constraint so I shall write this in a quick, cohesive, and straightforward fashion. You are either an ally or an enemy. Either way, you somehow came across your weapons and armour. They are not trapped, nor are they rigged with a tracker of any kind. As suspicious as this may seem to you, I assure you that this is working as intended. Out of respect for your being my student some time ago, this is the final chance I am giving you to change your mind to stray from your current path. Out of respect for Summer's wishes, and for Ruby's as well, who has recently come to me in secret and requested that you be given this second chance. I don't know why, or how, but it seems that you have made friends. Use this chance wisely, because you will not be given another. _

_Lastly, beware of Salem. She is the true enemy, Cinder is but a pawn. _

_-Ozpin."_

"Tch, a little late for this, don't ya think?" Marcus let the note fall and reached for his weapons. "I'm here, aren't I? That should be enough. Whatever happens, this is my last fight. I'm done fighting for people who just want to use me as a tool." He grumbled as he strapped his armour on easily and strapped his holsters back onto his body. "I'm my own boss now, we're just temporary allies until I can go fuck off in the outskirts." His knife that he has survived so long with made its way down into his sheathe. He loaded his pistol and holstered that as well. Now fully armored back up and armed, he felt more confident and comfortable.

With a shaky sigh, he went back to the elevator and stepped back into it. His mind was racing again, why leave him a note like that? He just felt it all pointless. It was clear that Ozpin intended to try and rope him into his little circle. It wasn't going to work, but he was going to try anyway. For some reason that bothered Marcus more than he cared to admit.

The elevator door slid shut again as he pushed a button. He went up a few floors, but he forced the doors open and jumped out when he felt the elevator start to shake and slow down. Behind him, he could see the elevator fall all the way down to the bottom, exploding once it hit the bottom of the shaft. With a sigh, Marcus thanked Ozpin for his smart design of the building. It didn't have just that one elevator, there were many more he could use to get to the top.

He didn't expect the elevator shaft to be completely empty and void an entire elevator when the second set of doors slid open. He heard a loud grinding sound, and watched as a flash of metal and red shot straight up the shaft. Marcus cursed and jumped into the shaft, grabbing on to the metal cables that lifted and brought down the elevator itself. It was moving upwards since the girl he just barely caught a glimpse of was using some kind of semblance to force it up, and it stopped suddenly and he threw himself onto the floor ahead of him.

He was on the seventy-sixth floor when he checked to see where he was at. Just about twenty from Ozpin's office. What he hated Ozpin for was this shitty design of a building. Or was it Atlas? Either way, whoever did it deserved to be stabbed. There's no reason the office of the headmaster of Beacon should be at the very top of a near one hundred floor building.

"Damn it," Marcus said as he looked toward the second stairwell in front of him. He already felt tired again. If he didn't have a promise to keep, he would have been gone already.

"Almost there…" Marcus whispered to himself as he started climbing the steps.

His muscles continued to scream at him as he forced his body to keep moving. As did his mind. Step by step, the end seemed to feel farther and farther. He didn't even realize how slow he was moving until his legs felt heavy again.

* * *

It turned out slaying the dragon wasn't at all how it was like in the movies.

Ruby loaded in her clip of armour piercing bullets and took aim again, wiping the sweat off of her brow before doing so and started opening fire on the massive Grimm once again. Three shots were fired, and three shots bounced off of the dragons boney outer skeleton. Three more misses on the eye that she was aiming for. It was just _so small _compared to the rest of its body. Yet it was the only thing that seemed to hurt the damned thing.

What the Ace Ops massively made up for with their strength and teamwork on the ground, they seemed to be lacking from ranged. Sure, there was Marrow and his assault rifle boomerang but it wasn't like he was shooting rockets out of that thing. It wasn't anything special and the dragon was just too far away for him to use his semblance on it properly and they didn't even know if he _could _use his semblance on it because of its massive size. Harriet was able to keep track of it and revealed to be able to throw the bolts of lightning that were created from her using her semblance to do some very minor damage to the carapace of the creature's armour while being careful not to make it bleed so more Grimm wouldn't spawn around them. Clover had a fishing rod for a weapon, and while unethical yet effective against smaller opponents, it was all but useless against the creature. Elm was just as useful, and Vine seemed to be the only one who was actually able to catch up to the creature because of his quiet versatile and mobile semblance.

Yet they were doing leagues more than they ever were. Ruby watched in awe as the members of the Ace Ops showed them why they were the best of the best in Atlas. Their teamwork was beyond trusting, and it was like they all shared the same mind with how clean and awesome maneuvers that they were able to pull off together.

In comparison, the only thing they could do was just as Clover said, play support. The ones that had effective ranged weapons or abilities like Ruby, Weiss, Penny, and Nora helped with focusing on the dragon while Yang, Jaune, and Ren took care of the Grimm that spawned out of the pools of darkness that bled from the dragon almost any time it was wounded. Other than that, the Ace Ops were the ones doing the most damage and getting closer and closer to bringing the dragon down.

Other students and soldiers that could still fight were inspired by their efforts. The bulk of the White Fang being defeated in Beacon, people were able to shift their focus to the arguably more worrisome Grimm. And since they were at a school that trained people to kill Grimm, it was only a matter of time before they started to get help. The other students followed their lead, the ones with guns, ranged semblances, or whatever other ability they had was focused on the dragon itself while all the melee oriented students and huntsmen were focused on the Grimm that still invaded Beacon either from the Emerald Forest or from the splashes of blood from the dragon.

It made it easier, but not so much so that they could say that this was an imminent victory. The Wyvern was agitated, but it wasn't attacking them directly. It mainly focused on the buildings and the infrastructure of Ironwood's fleet, and little else. But once it _did_ start to focus on them? Fighting it while it wasn't even paying attention to them was difficult enough, but fighting it when it was thrashing around and snapping at them was another. It was going to be a different kind of battle entirely when that happened, but right now they needed to keep working on catching its attention.

Penny looked up at the creature with glowing green eyes as she hovered in the air, then proceeded to look around to the hundreds of students and huntsmen along with the Ace Ops doing whatever they could in the effort to slay the dragon and save Beacon. Her energy supply was constantly charging, so she didn't have to worry about that. And she was sure that in time she might have been able to find a way to destroy the dragon. That time was limited, however. And every second that passed another innocent life was taken as the creature bled and more Grimm was spawned or was attracted because of the overwhelming amount of negativity throughout the entire kingdom.

Everyone was fighting so hard, Clover, Harriet, Elm, Vine, and Marrow. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and all the other friends and students that were shooting at the dragon. Or fighting the Grimm on the ground in brutal and bloody combat. She did her part, but she didn't feel like she was doing _enough._

She was the one partly responsible for this in the first place. If she didn't take so long regaining control over her body Coco would have still been alive. She wouldn't have betrayed her father's rules and design and perhaps Cinder Fall and Adam Taurus wouldn't have had such a great catalyst to start the invasion of Vale and Beacon using the Grimm and the White Fang. All because she was too slow to regain control, all because of some stupid virus that leaked confidential information and made her vulnerable to manipulation.

She remembered the first time she stepped off the platform in her first alpha stage successful experiment. She already knew so much, yet she still knew so little. Her father treated her as if she was his own daughter, despite only giving her a part of his own aura which technically made him an extension of himself. She loved him, and he loved her. But that didn't mean that they could ignore important contingencies or not create backup plans just in case the worst really did happen.

Such as the lines and lines of code that told her that it was forbidden for her to ever take a human life, but that it was okay to spar with them, fight them, talk to them, love them, be friends with them and so on and so forth. Underneath the lines and lines of code, there was a contingency. A backup plan in case somehow, something went wrong and she went on a rampage.

It was already eating away at her cybernetic mind. The code telling her to fulfill the order. She wasn't refusing it, but she was just trying to find the right time to go through with it and answer her own design.

The Grimm dragon provided her that opportunity. Her statistics told her that despite the damage, there was only a twenty-two percent chance that they would win the more traditional way of fighting, and that was including that good fortune semblance of Clover Ebi. Twenty-two percent. It was better than she originally thought it was, but it wasn't ideal. Far from it. Because there was a seventy-eight percent chance that they'd all be defeated and overran by Grimm and killed. That number was much too high. Much too high indeed.

"_Contingency: Emergency K.S.D; Begin countdown sequence." _

Within her cybernetic mind, she could hear the silent countdown begin. Penny put all of her body's power into the thrusters and fired herself through the air like a rocket. She could barely hear Clover and Ruby call out to her and ask what she was doing, but she wasn't going to reply. This was for them and everyone else that was fighting for their lives. If she did what Contingency: Emergency K.S.D entailed that there would be an eighty-six percent chance of success if she went through with her order as strategically as her computer mind calculated for her.

She flew through the air, weaving and dodging the flying Grimm that tried to stop her on her way to the dragon. The hail fire of bullets, grenades, and rockets all ceased in their assault as Penny got closer and closer to the dragon. Whether the thing spotted her or not was irrelevant information. Nothing was going to be able to survive what she was about to do, not even her.

"What is she doing!?" Ruby exclaimed as she watched the bright green light in the sky get closer and closer to the dragon. "She is going to get herself killed!"

Clover watched but remained silent. He uttered a silent thank you for the android and shut his eyes. This was all in her hands now.

Penny dodged the heavy beating wings and rolled underneath the dragon and latched onto its belly. The countdown in her mind broke under twenty seconds, and with the help of her thrusters. Penny slowly but swiftly climbed up the dragon's stomach and stopped when she was about in the center of its neck and chest.

"Contingency: Emergency Self Destruct, initiate," Penny said as she latched onto the neck of the dragon. Clutching tightly as her inner power core overflowed with power and became a literal ticking time bomb capable of destroying an entire city block.

_5… 4… 3…_

"_Thank you, Friend Ruby."_

_2… 1…_

"_It was nice learning how to be human."_

_0… Self-Destruction, commencing!_

"_Goodbye."_

Penny shut her eyes and smiled as her entire body exploded in a massive blast of green and white. All of the energy stored up within her body formed a giant orb in the sky which engulfed most of the dragon. The explosion was so bright that it looked like a new sun entered the solar system. The light slowly faded away within seconds, dimming down more and more until there was nothing but a mist of black and green falling from the sky.

Out of the mist came the fragmented remains of the dragon, dissipating away quickly as it plummeted toward the ground.

Everyone on the ground began to cheer frantically. Despite still being in battle against the Grimm. With the dragon now slain, there was a serious chance that Beacon would be able to put up a successful defense. Ruby watched the events unfold in front of her eyes, not being able to help the tears that rimmed her eyes as she realized that Penny wasn't coming back from that explosion. It took a few moments for her to realize exactly what the android girl did, and when she did she let out a few choked gasps. Another one of her friends, dead. Even though this was meant to be for a good cause and Penny might have just saved Beacon from destruction, that didn't make her sacrifice hurt any less.

She wanted to cry and bawl her eyes out and mourn for her friend. But after looking around and seeing just how exhausted people were, the Ace Ops, Yang and Weiss, Jaune and his team, she suddenly remembered the whole point of them going to Beacon. To stop the Grimm and the White Fang, and to save Pyrrha. Two out of three of those goals were completed, but there was still more to do.

Her eyes strayed toward Beacon's tower, that was where Jaune said Pyrrha was. Her friend was there, fighting, dying, she didn't know. But she was there, and she was in danger.

Voices cried out for her to stop as she rushed forward toward the tower before she knew what she was doing, but she didn't care. She couldn't consider this a victory if she lost any more friends.

"Ruby!" Yang cried out as she pushed herself up to her feet, but ran much too slow to ever catch up to her in time. "Wait!"

"Harriet," Clover snapped to the speedster. "Go catch up and help her. She must be going there for a good reason."

"Yes, sir!" Harriet sped off without hesitation.

"Why aren't you stopping her!?" Weiss yelled.

"Because if more people need help, I won't stop her from doing so," Clover said with a sigh as he looked around to all the injured. There was still a battle raging on, but it wasn't like he could send anyone else away to fight somewhere else when there was Grimm and terrorists still around. "We have wounded to tend to and people to protect. Believe in her and trust me. Please."

He really hoped he didn't make a mistake letting them go. But right now, he couldn't afford to begin regretting it anytime soon.

* * *

Marcus froze when he got to a room he recognized all too well. The bloodstain from the cat faunus he killed was still there and for him, it still looked fresh. He wondered why the door to this floor was locked up like it was. Now he understood why.

It seemed he wasn't the only person to get up this far either. Terrorists from the White Fang, some staff members, and students. All of them dead. Marcus didn't know why he decided to do what he was going to do, but when he saw that one of the computers was still on and operational, he just couldn't help himself. He was just… so tired. And he needed to get something off his chest.

An exhausted man, a head full of white hair, staggered his way through the ruined remains of what once was one of the most active rooms in the Beacon tower. He used a railing for support, the wound in his hip prevented him from moving any faster because of the pain and loss of stamina. His breathing felt as ragged and labored as he imagined his look. His eyes, already black, seemed even darker as he looked around the room. Bodies. Dead bodies. Students and staff members alike littered the floor. Sighing, he shook his head and kept moving. A man who has been through as much as he did couldn't allow his heart to care for those he knew nothing of, lest he be driven mad.

He only stopped when he sat down in front of the screen that he had seen earlier. The reflection of his face smiled back at him as he chuckled lightly. Without really thinking about it, he realized into the chair. Resting his tired muscles and mind.

The relaxing sensation of taking a seat after everything that has happened that day was euphoric. The pain in his legs and muscles faded somewhat, and he felt like he could fall asleep right then and there. He couldn't. There was still one more thing left to do.

Using skills taught to him by a certain organization, he reached both his hands forward and began typing away at the computer. A black admin screen came up, and after a few more commands he managed to get a video recording with the somehow still stable camera viewing him in the rectangular window in the middle of the screen. He saw himself, a man with a thousand wounds smiling a bloody smile as he looked into the camera. Man, he really looked more like shit than he previously thought he would.

"My name is Marcus Black," The ex-assassin man in the video began. Now that he could see himself he could see how his red and black sleeveless shirt was torn and burned in places, his gloved hands in a similar condition. Never did get the chance to repair them after everything that has happened in the past couple of months. "I don't really know why I've decided to do this while I'm on a time constraint, especially after everything that's happened, but I guess I never stopped being… well, me."

"Anyway, I'll skip the bullshit. 'Cause I got a story to tell, why? Because, well, why not?" Marcus laughed. "Take this as a sort of… explanation. Motives for why I am partly responsible for all this shit going down and whatnot. Why I killed the people I did… I'm not a good person, never have been and probably never will be. But hey, by the end of this story," He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees after wiping blood off of his face.

"You just might understand me."

"Now, this all started the day I killed my son… I was betrayed by the organization that swore to give me a home for the rest of my life. They killed my wife and made my son believe that I was the one to do it. Once I was forced to go through that, that was when Cinder found me. That's right, I'm talking about the woman that started all of this. Cinder struck me as an interesting person at first, I never really was able to get a bead on her. But damn, did she expect a lot… I had my world turned upside down before I knew it, I'll have to refrain from saying why, of course. Try asking the General and see if he'll tell you the truth. After a few months of getting to know my new co-workers, they started to think of some plans. You can imagine what those plans were… All this for some stupid power. Heh. Some of them I even had a voice in. I worked with Emerald, the same girl that I helped lock away for the rest of her life. I feel a little bad for it, I'll admit. We had a pretty good dynamic. Cinder with us for a decent while, but of course, nothing good ever lasts…" Marcus sighed and smacked his lips together. He was dehydrated, but he had to keep going. "My old friends of the organization reminded me of what I left. Little did they know they made a mistake doing that. I hear they're all in the shithole now. Before I knew it a little birdy started becoming an issue, and soon after that, a certain cat girl started to get on my nerves. But nothing compared to the voices… I started to remember, they just _kept coming back_. It was torture…"

With a loud sigh, Marcus continued. "After that fiasco at the docks, I earned myself a meeting with… _that_. Again, ask James for the answer to what _that _is. I have a feeling I probably shouldn't mention its name just yet. After that, nothing ever got easier. Time and time again, it was the same routine. Fighting, killing, recruiting, talking, training, eating, shitting, then sleeping. I could go on and on into every little thing that I did, but none of them really matter right now. The voices kept coming, Cinder kept expecting more, Grass was an annoying piece of shit, and then I killed Blake Belladonna right in this very room." He made a show of gesturing to the area behind his back. "I can say I'm sorry a thousand times, it won't mean anything. But I _did_ feel bad about it… Then the surprised ambush on that train, Roman Torchwick, who was my partner when I used to be a student at Beacon, died a pretty painful death. But of course, that wasn't before finally convincing me that It was time to get my head back in the game."

"I don't have much time left," Marcus said as he started to feel antsy. He'd already spent two minutes down here speaking to a camera while there was still a Cinder that needed killing. "So I am going to make the rest of this quick. I know what I did, I know that I am not a good person. I know I killed dozens of people, some of the people I cared about. But I wouldn't be sitting here in this chair telling you part of my story so I can be remembered as some asshat murderer with no conscience. By the time I am done with tonight, I swear, I better have a statue of me already in the works."

"That's about it, I guess," Marcus said. "There's nothing much else to say. At least not when I have a few seconds before I live this here for some lucky fuck to find. I guess the moral of my little explanation here is that I'm done fighting for survival. I have something to fight for now, and lucky you, it's all about this damn kingdom and the people that lived in it."

Before he continued, he shut off the monitor after ending the recording and saving it in a video file. Someone would find it, he was sure of it. But even with how shitty he was at giving speeches, he was sure that would rile some people up.

He stood up and took in a few more deep breaths and went out to scale the final few steps. He wasted time doing that, he knew, but he felt like he needed to do it. As he got closer to Ozpin's office, he could begin to hear the sounds of fighting. Quickening his pace, he ignored the pain and sores in his body once again and pushed on.

He was there, and now it was time to finish this.

* * *

Pyrrha was forced onto her knees. The arrow in her heel stopped her from putting up any more resistance. Her lungs burned, both from the lack of air she was breathing and from the soot and ash that she breathed in as she fought the new fall maiden, Cinder. She thought that she'd have a chance, she couldn't just run away after the headmaster and professor Goodwitch sacrificed their lives trying to stop her.

She had to try. She had to _at least _try.

"You are better than most," Cinder said as she walked toward her. Her heels clicking with each step. Despite all the fighting she has been through, she hardly looked fatigued at all. "You made me have to try a few times there. That speaks volumes since there were two others that made me have to try to beat them. You should be proud of yourself, _Invincible Girl." _Her bow formed in her hands once again. Pyrrha shut her eyes and looked up at her would-be murdered. At the very least, she would die with her chin up.

"It is such a shame that you were promised a power that was never yours, to begin with. That is what happens when humans such as you and I try to change destiny. If anything, I shall at least allow you to speak your final words before you die."

Pyrrha looked up at the woman, her green eyes scowling defiantly into the maiden's burning amber. She stood up on her knees, presenting her chest challengingly. "Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha asked.

Cinder scoffed and knotted a magical arrow into her bow. Pyrrha closed her eyes and waited for the release of death.

"Yes."

She heard the bow snap and she gasped. But not because an arrow impaled her through the chest like she thought it would, but because she felt something very hard slam into her hip and launch her across the ruined office of headmaster Ozpin. Pyrrha rolled and rolled until her back slammed against a wall with a mighty _smack_. With no aura, she felt something snap in her back. She could still move her neck and legs, so it wasn't her spine. But she landed awkwardly and she could _feel _that something was broken in her back.

Her eyes blinked open, and her vision was blurry, but she knew what she was seeing. That man, the same man that had easily defeated her on the train in mountain Glenn. Marcus Black, was attacking Cinder Fall relentlessly. The woman obviously expected this just as much as she did if her wide panicked eyes were of any indication. She could hardly believe what she was seeing, an enemy fighting against another enemy, and the man she has grown to fear had become the reason that she was still breathing now.

She would have asked questions, but her mind failed her and she felt lightheaded. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and passed out. All the fatigue and aura loss finally got to her.

Marcus smashed through Cinder's glass weapons with his knife, which he knew was more than strong and hard enough to break through such dense glass. Cinder was caught off guard and quickly put on the back foot and Marcus didn't stop his assault. He even managed to land quite a few strikes on her before Cinder snapped herself out of her initial shock and surprise and activated the powers of the fall maiden in the form of an area of effect attack. Wind crashed against Marcus' body, and in order to stop himself from smashing through the windows behind him, he dug his metal heels into the ground. He managed to stop himself, but the glass windows behind him were shattered by the force of Cinder's wind. Black eyes glared through his guard, and he stood against Cinder just as he promised he would. The maiden looking at him with such hatred and anger that in itself would have been enough to scare a Grimm.

"You," Cinder growled through her teeth. "I knew you were slithering around here somewhere. As much as I had hoped that you weren't going to get in my way anytime soon, it seems I was a fool to think that by gaining the full power of the fall maiden. Why oh why did you think it was a good idea to betray me, Marcus?"

"I had a change of heart," Marcus replied darkly. "You're a different kind of monster Cinder, I thought that this was going to bring a lot less heat than this. Do you really think I wasn't smart enough to figure it out? I'm not Emerald, I wasn't just going to blindly follow you and do whatever you say like a good puppy. Especially when you laid it on pretty thick with the constant threats and empty promises."

"You are too intelligent for your own good, Marcus." Cinder said as her eyes flamed even brighter. "I took risks to bring you into the fold, I convinced my Queen that you would be useful. Now I can't imagine how disappointed and _angry _she must be. First Roman, then Emerald, then Tyrian, and now I am guessing the White Fang as well?"

"I did kill Adam on my way here," Marcus taunted, enjoying the way Cinder's eyes widened with shock and anger. "Tenne betrayed you too, so she's out. And have you noticed a distinct lack of screeching lately? I'm guessing that the grunts of Beacon actually managed to do something for once. Good for them."

"You…"

"You're running out of allies, Cinder. No, you're already out of them. Now it's just you and me and no one is here to get in my way." Marcus flourished his knife and gripped it tightly. His white hair shimmered in the moonlight as he took his Atlesian black hand cannon out of its holster and aimed it and used his forearm as support. His trademark stance, and there was the bloodlust behind it to make it all the more dangerous.

Cinder looked at him for a good long moment. She eyed him up and down and was careful to spot every little detail. Once satisfied, she smirked and slowly hovered back down to the floor. Giving him a smug look the entire time.

"You're not the only smart one, Marcus. You are tired." She stated, Marcus kept his facade up and made it look as convincing as possible, but to Cinder, she was able to tell the difference. "You're shaking lightly, you are already sweating, and if I am seeing that correctly, you are injured as well." With every point, it became harder and harder for Marcus to keep up the act. His smug smirk slowly transformed into a pained glare. Cinder figured him out already. "Your bluff nearly got through to me, I must admit. But surely you don't believe that you are the only one that can read people. You really don't think you can beat me in your current state, do you? I am the fall maiden, and I can assure you that I am already stronger than Amber ever was. You will not win this battle, do not make the same mistake that the little Nikos made."

Marcus grit his teeth and held his ground, refusing to say anything.

"I might even find it within myself if you surrender and kneel to me right now. I am sure Salem would forgive you. Tyrian was a useful pawn but his mental state made him unreliable even at the best of times. You would make for a fine replacement, and if you play your cards right, you might even be able to live out the rest of your days."

"Yeah, that'd end with you stabbing me in the back the first chance you get."

Cinder simply shrugged, neither confirming nor denying Marcus' claim.

Marcus sighed and shook his head. "Sorry Cindy, but I've made my choices. And so have you. One of us is dying tonight."

"Yes," Cinder raised a palm and aimed it at the white-haired man. "One of us _is _going to have to die tonight. On that, I cannot help but _agree_."

The start of their battle in the form of a fireball coming out of Cinder's palm looked like it was in slow motion. Marcus felt his hearing become focused and all he could hear was the crackling of fire and his own breathing. His muscles cracked as he began to move, his lungs burned as he breathed in more air than his body was naturally capable of, his bionic legs felt heavy and the tips of his fingers were so numb and sore it felt like they were about to start falling off.

The sound returned to him as he ducked under the fireball and dodged to the left. The fireball destroyed the space he once occupied and then continued forward, falling from the sky to either dissipate in the air or continue traveling until it hit something. Marcus dove forward again to dodge the second one that came his way, but when the third came, he leaned to the side and aimed his pistol forward, desperate to shoot back some kind of counter-attack.

Cinder blocked the bullets with the palm of her hand and conjured up a red-yellow sword in her left hand as she watched Marcus charge at her with his knife while also shooting at her at the same time. Cinder backstepped and parried the first strike, feeling the crack of her glass sword begin to shatter as Marcus' strength proved once again to be too much for her weapons to handle. She paid it no mind and restored the damage with her newfound magic. She let the man gain ground as she opted to not get too caught up in close combat with the assassin that had technically defeated her once already when she didn't use her powers. Seconds passed as Marcus attacked her with no mercy or rest, Cinder actually began to sweat already as her former ally continuously attacked her. Much more so than when she was fightingOzpin, Glynda and Pyrrha just minutes before.

She watched his hands as they fought. It wouldn't do her any good to get grabbed and lose her semblance. While it wouldn't take away her maiden status, she has seen what losing a semblance does to a person. If she had that seizure-like episode in the middle of this fight then Marcus might just have a chance to defeat her. And he tried, oh did he try.

His knife twisted into a reverse grip as he deflected Cinder's attack and he pushed forward to strike Cinder in the face. Cinder bent over backward in an extreme show of flexibility and kicked at Marcus' chest, stopping him from touching her skin with his knuckles. He wasn't wearing gloves like he was before, and Cinder didn't want to take the risk of letting him get too close. Marcus slid back across the floor as distance was created between the two, and Cinder rose up into the air and dropped her magical sword. Flames burst forth from her palms and forearms, and she threw everything she had at the assassin.

Marcus flipped and dodged through the assault, but there was no cover and he was not a perfect man. Whatever he couldn't dodge he raised his bionic legs to try to absorb or disperse the blast. Eventually, he gave up on dodging them all together and found it easier to kick them out of the air. Cinder narrowed her eyes at him, but she didn't stop. She pumped her arms and with each offensive motion and ball of fire shot out of her limb. Marcus kicked at them all, deflecting them, destroying them, or even somehow managing to throw them back at her.

When Cinder took a short break to see the damage she's done so far, Marcus still stood before her defiantly. His metal legs were so hot that they were a white-orange color. The damage that they were doing to the parts of his actual legs must have been painful, but not so much so that he was going to give up. Roaring in her anger, Cinder balled up another fireball between her hands and threw it down in front of Marcus. A great plume of fire and smoke burst in every which direction, but caused little to no damage to its intended target. Marcus was smart enough to know that this wasn't just a pissy attack, however, when Cinder's flaming eyes became visible through the thick black smoke, he had little time to defend himself as her dual magical swords struck down at him from above.

He used his knife and the side of his hand cannon together to help block the powerful strike, which forced him down to one knee and brace against the floor while Cinder pushed down on him. Her swords became so hot that it matched her rage, which began to make _his own _weapons hot as well. So much so that he was starting to feel it in his hands. His weapons were made out of a special material that prevented it from melting, but that just meant that they could get so hot that it could _feel _like it was melting. With burning hands, Marcus twisted to the side and let Cinder strike the ground. She recovered quickly and crossed her arms to her side to mitigate the damage from Marcu's still red bionic leg from kicking into her side. She flipped with the momentum and gently hovered in the air until she came to a stop on top of Ozpin's destroyed desk.

She threw her swords away and made two hand formations with her fingers and snapped them up toward the sky. Instantly, the ground beneath her became melted and instantly froze back down to become glass shards. Marcus crossed his arms and ran as the shards started to rise up from the ground and fire at him like they were bullets shot from the barrel of a gun. Thankfully, Cinder's resources were finite and didn't last more than a few seconds. Marcus shot back and hit Cinder in the hand, knocking her off her concentration and making her cry out in pain as an ugly black-purple bruise began to form on the top of her hand.

Marcus kicked up onto the wall beside him and flipped over the wild line of fire that whipped at him with the physical heat of CInder's raw anger. But tripped and stumbled when he landed on the floor. Cinder whipped the fire back toward him and it _slammed _into his back. The fire dispersed around his aura and caused him to scream in a mixture of rage and adrenaline as he felt the freezing sensation of scalding heat burn through his shirt and lick at his skin. He refused to fall over, and had enough sense to duck down as the fire whip zoomed past over his head. Almost blind, Marcus took aim from his position and three bullets pushed and pelted off of Cinder's aura. She staggered back from the initial force of the rounds which dispelled her fire whip and whipped her head back as a bullet bounced off of her forehead.

She felt pain where she was attacked, her aura went to work to heal the damage, but the pain was there. It angered her, fueled her with rage. How dare a normal human make her feel such things!? With a roar, she proclaimed that she had enough as she hovered up into the sky, her entire body erupting into flames. Marcus looked up at her with shocked wide eyes, clearly, he didn't know that the fall maiden could be _this _powerful. Knowing that, Cinder smirked as the familiar sensation of flames balled up in the center of her palms.

"With this, you'll be rendered no more than a pile of ash!" Cinder screamed as the fire bellowed up more and more.

"Shit!" Marcus cursed as he looked for anywhere to take cover. It was no use, the ceiling wasn't even there and he doubted that hiding underneath Ozpin's desk would do anything. Which meant that there was only one option. He took aim and unloaded the rest of his bullets into the maidens chest, but each of them either melted before they could get to her or fell uselessly as Cinder batted them aside like they were nothing.

Feeling that he was going to die, Marcus roared back at the flames as it crackled in the sky. From afar, it must have looked like the sun itself has had enough of humanity.

Cinder blasted the fire blast forward, a short column of fire engulfed the entirety of Ozpin's office. Melting down the steel beams with its heat and burning straight through anything that came into contact with her flames. The explosion that followed after was a satisfying sound. She was confident in her resounding victory.

Only for her eyes to widen with anger and for an ugly scowl to form on her face as the smoke dissipated, and Marcus was still standing. Covered head to toe in soot and ash from Cinder's attack, but still standing. She quickly found out how when she saw the red-haired girl from before standing in front of him, her bronze shield a bright red in color as it cooled down from the blast of heat. Marcus was brazing her from behind, and both of them were burned, but still alive.

When Pyrrha fell forward, Marcus covered her. "Go," Pyrrha muttered as the pain in her heel came back to her. "She can't last forever, after that, she has to be getting tired."

"Thank you for that," Marcus said as he grabbed Pyrrha by the scruff of her neck and threw her away to the side and hopefully out of the rest of the fight. She fell down and laid on her side, losing the rest of her adrenalized energy. "I might have been toast if you didn't wake up just then."

Angered by the fact that he still lived, Cinder tried to form another blast of flames within her hands but something was wrong. The power was still there, but it wouldn't obey her demands. She could blast what she had built up right now, but she doubted that it would even break Marcus' aura.

"Surprised?" Marcus taunted her from the ground. "You shouldn't be. I bet you've been throwing out those powers ever since you got them. No breaks, no moments of rest. You may have beaten Ozpin, Glynda, and that girl over there. But there is just no way that you wouldn't at least be a little tired after that. Face it Cinder, you've reached your limit."

"Urgh," Cinder growled under her breath as she formed her dual blades once again. "I don't need my full power to kill you! I've bested you once with just half of this, I can do it again!"

She blasted down at him and Marcus got ready to fight. But when Cinder clashed with him, he was the one who gave way. His legs skidded back, his arms were slower, his vision was blurry and his mouth felt like it was layered with thorns because of how dehydrated he was. Despite his taunts, he was the one who was on his last legs. After fighting Adam, countless White Fang, Grimm, Qrow and now Cinder, his own body was going beyond its limits just staying conscious right now. It was a miracle his aura didn't break already, it was honestly just a matter of time until it did.

Cinder may have gotten tired, but she was just beginning to get tired. She was still fast and powerful, even without the powers of the maiden that she was refraining from using too much at the moment. His simple knife all of a sudden became too simple of a weapon, and he was out of ammo in his pistol. The tides turned quickly, and before he knew it he was getting taken down and he was slammed onto his back. Cinder straddled him and stabbed her sword down. It stabbed into Marcus' aura but stopped when it hit the armour on his forearm. Cinder's second blade stabbed down toward his eye, but Marcus stopped that with his bare hand. Catching it even if it did cause pain and slice away at his palms. At any other time, Marcus would have been able to overpower her. But now, it was a desperate battle to keep her from killing him right then and there.

"Hah!" Cinder laughed as her blade got closer and closer to Marcus' unprotected neck. "For all your strength and skill, the power of the fall maiden triumphs all! Die here Marcus Black, and you will be remembered. Die!"

Marcus gasped as Cinder let go of one sword and pushed all of her weight onto the one above his neck. It stabbed through and hit the ground beneath him. His eyes were wide and his expression shocked as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. Looking up at his murderer, he smiled.

Cinder's expression changed from excited to confused as no blood bubbled out of Marcus' mouth, but instead. He just smiled at her.

Then, his entire body flickered out in a flash of white, and a kick struck the side of Cinder's head and sent her flying into the wall.

When she cracked one eye open as her amber aura flickered. She shook at what she saw, Marcus Black, still alive and aura flashing as it regenerated quickly. His black eyes shined a dark light as well, and his white hair seemed to glow in the darkness as well.

"W-what?" She uttered out. "H-how? This… this is impossible! I just killed you! I won!"

"Did you really think that I _ever _showed you just how powerful I can become?" Marcus asked with a laugh. "Did you really think my semblance was _just _to lock away other semblances?" White rose petals burst into the wind and Cinder's eyes bulged out of her skull as suddenly, Marcus had jammed his fist deep into her abdomen. "I don't just lock them away, I _steal _them. And I never said I _couldn't _use the semblances that I stole."

"Ragh!" Cinder's body exploded in fire, Marcus used Ruby's semblance to dash away in a flurry of rose petals, and when a ball of fire struck him in the chest, he used Blake's semblance to create a clone to take the hit for him while he skipped away across the room. His aura regenerated constantly back to full strength thanks to Anon's semblance. Which meant that he'd always have a supply of aura to use the vast amount of semblances that he had in his arsenal.

"It does not matter how many semblances you have! I swear that I will kill you! This is _my destiny_! This is _my fate_!"

"Hehe," Marcus chuckled as multiple elements from all the dozens of semblances that he has stolen throughout his life crackled around him like an aura. Ice, lightning, fire, metal, along with enhanced strength, hardened skin, and every ability one could think of. "That's the thing about destiny and fate," Marcus added as he walked forward, slowly permeating into the ground using Cobi's semblance as he did so.

"Destiny always seemed to be fated _Black_ to me…"

Cinder's eyes frantically scanned the floor around her. Her heartbeat hard in her chest and the fear that she had locked away for this fight suddenly smashed back into her mind as her breathing became frantic and labored. Her flames burst out wildly and in desperosity, she burned everything that she could look at. Of course, none of it actually hurt Marcus. But she knew what might just throw him off his game. Pyrrha was still lying down in the corner, assumingly unconscious or just too exhausted to move. She balled up flames in her palms and blasted fire at her.

Marcus shot out of the ground and blocked the flames with his bare hands. Cinder dared to hope, but the flames did _nothing _to him as his skin suddenly hardened into some kind of metal. And before Cinder could expect it, a bolt of lightning shot out of his hand and struck her in the chest. She didn't even have time to fall down before Marcus used Ruby's speed semblance and kicked her across the face, sending her flying over the edge. Knowing that she could fly, however, Marcus shot forward and _off _the ledge as well, kicked Cinder back up while also dragging her into the floor in the same unnatural motion. He grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into the floor, and dashed away in a flurry of white rose petals when Cinder roared in an explosion of fire and wind.

She heaved as smoke floated up into the sky and atmosphere, her eyes now bloodshot with rage as she glared down her enemy. Marcus looked around at the smoke and smirked, spreading his hands out as if to catch the gas.

"Ever wondered what my son's semblance was?" Marcus asked as he began to absorb the smoke into his body. "Guess not, but it had something to do with smoke. Here, let me show you…"

Above her head, a hurricane of smoke started to form quickly. Cinder stared up at it in disbelief, she tried to shoot flames out of her hands to disperse the formation. But instead, her flames were rendered completely useless. The flames were just picked up and dispersed in the wind.

"It was a pretty strong semblance," Marcus said obviously as the hurricane of smoke began to get closer. "If I let him keep it, it probably would have been even stronger than this."

He raised his leg and kicked it down through the air, all of the smoke turned into some form of projectile, and all of them converged on her like heat-seeking missiles. All Cinder could do was protect herself the best that she could as they pelted at her aura like a missile barrage, by the time it was done, she was on her knees. Bleeding from a thousand wounds and her aura just barely flickering, implying that she did have _some _of it left.

"I'm not falling for that," Marcus said as he looked down at Cinder. "I have the sense to know that magic and aura are two different sources of power. You still have enough to kill me and I am not letting my guard down for a second."

Cinder looked up at him and scowled, her wounds very slowly healing as her aura flickered and a small amount of flames burned around her body.

"There you go," Marcus got into a stance and prepared to go all out again. "Just like that…" His heart was beating faster than his body could keep up with, his lungs burned, and his brain felt fried. Not to mention the immense strain his muscles were enduring. This was why he never used all of the semblances he stole, he knew that he _could_, but he didn't know what it would do to his body. He already felt the beginning stages of a heart attack coming. Going from a normal athlete of a man to moving at the speed of sound, conducting lightning, absorbing fire, smoke, and every other kind of element out there was bound to have some kind of drawback.

These weren't _his _semblances. It was ones that he _stole_. His body wasn't accustomed to this strain, and he knew that he wasn't going to last much longer.

Cinder smirked back at him and extended one of her hands forward. Marcus wondered what it was, but he quickly realized and panicked when he saw the flash of red from Cinder's eyes. Immediately, he cried out in pain as the parasite that has been in his body from the very beginning started thrashing around and hurting him on the inside. One of his semblances was to heal his internal organs, and that was the only thing that stopped him from dying a horrible death. Cinder glared at him from across the room, suddenly the odds getting a lot more even after Marcus overwhelmed her completely with his arsenal of semblances.

"This power will corrupt me, but I have no other choice." The black mist coming out of the strange tattoo on her arm grew more and more black. As she said, corrupting her. "I will not fall here. You are much too powerful to be left alive, you will die here."

"Not… before you." Marcus said through gritted teeth. His skin turned pale and his veins

Were bulging as he continued to force his body beyond the limits of its limits.

Cinder narrowed her eyes at him and stumbled into a stance, she was hurt. Marcus remembered that. She was hurt and her powers were getting exhausted. The same went for him, burnt and cut himself. They were both near the brink of death. Their next engagement would come down to a battle of will, and both of them had _very_ strong wills.

Before they could clash again, a red color came into their peripheral vision. Marcus and Cinder dared to take their eyes off each other to gauge who the newcomer was, and they both widened their eyes at what they saw.

Silver stared back at both of them, as did a pair of pink from behind her. Marcus recognized the dark-skinned as the member of the Ace Ops that he defeated. She scowled at him, but she looked exhausted and was sweating. He put two and two together and figured that she'd carried Ruby all the way here.

Ruby looked at them, but what really caught her attention was Pyrrha, lying in the corner unconscious and with so many injuries. Tears immediately brimmed the edges of her mind.

It was like the world was going in slow motion again when Marcus realized what was happening. Pyrrha looked dead, and the only ones in that room that could have done it was him and Cinder. But then a memory from very far back reminded him of something very crucial.

Silver eyes. Silver eyes were the bane of Grimm, or so the tale told. And Cinder right now, was using the powers of a Grimm.

"Cinder killed Pyrrha!" He cried out loudly in the most justified lie he has ever told. Pyrrha was still alive, but Ruby didn't know that. "She killed her and discarded in the corner like trash!"

"SILENCE!" Cinder screamed as she realized what she was trying to do. But it was too late, Ruby's eyes already began to glow white as the emotions started to get to her.

Cinder gave up on trying to kill him and made way to try and escape, but Marcus used the speed semblance he acquired and easily caught up to her. Before Cinder could blast off into the sky and escape, Marcus caught her and wrapped his arms around her body. Hugging her tightly to his chest as he forced her to sit still as Ruby activated her silver eyes. Cinder was still trying to wiggle out of his grip, but Marcus held strong. Using a semblance that he stole from a faunus to turn his skin into metal. Which made him much, much heavier. Cinder couldn't move, and she took the full brunt of a silver-eyed activation almost point-blank.

Cinder screamed in agony as the light of the silver eyes burned away at her skin and arm. Marcus screamed as well, it was so bright, so _hot, _so cold. He didn't know how to describe it, but he knew he was being affected by it as well. He may have not been part Grimm like Cinder was, but there was a Grimm parasite within his body. He ignored his initial instincts to just let go of Cinder and get out of the light. But he stood strong. Cinder started to become heavier and heavier in his arms as the seconds ticked by. He only realized that she was turning to stone when he cracked an eye open to see what was happening.

The white flash ended and Marcus' semblances all ceased to work, and he dropped Cinder, who was now a mixture of stone and dust, and pushed her over. Her body cracked and shattered as it struck the ground, turning into a pile of dust. Cinder was dead, he'd done it.

Blood erupted out of his mouth as he dropped to his knees. Ruby dropped to hers as well, whining and crying over the loss of her friend. She also looked like she was having the worst headache of her life. All of that went away when Harriet sped up to Pyrrha, and rolled her over onto her back. Pyrrha was still unconscious, but it was very clear that she was alive by the way her chest slowly rose and sunk as she breathed.

"She's alive," Harriet said with a sigh of relief.

"W-what?" Ruby asked in disbelief. She slowly turned to Marcus, who all of a sudden looked a lot sicker than the last time she saw him.

"I lied," Marcus said with a cough, blood spilling out of his mouth and all of his wounds as he looked back at her. "It was worth it." He fell forward onto his side, causing the pile of dust that was once Cinder to blow away.

Ruby fought the urge to pass out and crawled her way toward him. She didn't understand anything that had just happened. Pyrrha was alive, Cinder was dead all of a sudden, and Marcus Black was on his side slowly dying.

"Stay away from him!" Harriet yelled out as she tried to wake Pyrrha.

"He can't even move!" Ruby barked back, wincing as a sharp pain stabbed through her head as she moved Marcus onto his back and looked down at him, wondering what she could do to help.

"Don't bother," Marcus weakly said. A tired smile on his face. "I'm done, I pushed my body too far," He looked like it too, his face was pale and he was still bleeding. And from the collar of his shirt, Ruby could see a sickening black blotch in his veins leading up to his neck.

"No, I-if you hold on just a little longer…"

"I don't want to hang on a little longer," Marcus said with a cough. Ruby didn't know what to say. "All my life, I've been fighting. Killing. Fighting. Killing. I'm done with it. I want it to stop. All I've ever done with my life is hurt others."

"That's not true… my mom…"

"Was just like you," Marcus grabbed her hand. "Way too fucking stubborn."

Ruby felt a jolt of energy flow through her mind and body. Her aura flashed red and suddenly the world sped up for her again. She felt it, her semblance. She couldn't believe it but it was back.

"Heh… I guess I _can _give back semblances… Look at that." Marcus said with a cough as his own aura flickered and shattered. Not even Anon's semblance was able to keep up.

"W-Why?" Ruby asked, the tears rimming her eyes again.

"I… made a promise." Marcus weakly replied. "I kept it… now I can rest… even if I did survive, I would just be used as a tool again. I'd never be able to be free. I'm done fighting for people. I'm _done _killing for people." He coughed violently, more blood spewed out of his mouth. "I-its a bit fitting, now that I think about it. Dying like this, in the arms of the daughter of a woman who never gave up on me."

"Thank you…" Ruby muttered as she held his hand, kneeling at his side. "I-I forgive you…" She said next. "For everything…"

"Heh…" Marcus smiled through the pain. Somehow, that filled him up with the most happiness he has ever felt in a long time. "You… are going to be… a great huntress."

He let his eyes flutter shut and he smiled. He felt the cool air of the sky brushing against his skin, the shattered moon shined above him. He passed away more peaceful than the other thought he would have deserved too. At least, in the end, there was someone that cared for him. Even if it was for less than a minute.

"C'mon," Harriet said carefully after helping Pyrrha back up to her feet and giving a moment for Ruby. "We have to go." She said sympathetically.

Ruby squeezed Marcus's now limp hand one more time before setting it down on his chest. Wordlessly, she slowly stood back up on her feet. Harriet didn't say anything as the girl picked up her weapon and moved past her, but she cried out and used her speed to catch her when she fell over, passing out suddenly.

Sighing, Harriet picked Ruby up on her shoulder as well. She spared one last look for Marcus Black, the man that she was once ordered to hunt down and take in. Little did she know that he'd played a major part in the successful defense of Beacon. Despite everything he had done, Harriet had to pay her respects to the man that had defeated her so easily the first time they fought.

Marcus saved Beacon Academy, all of Vale and the world have him to thank for what has happened here.

* * *

_**Epilogue…**_

The Queen of the Grimm sat in her throne with a very disappointed look on her face as she looked down at her final two underlings. Arthur Watts and Hazel Rainart, who on their own couldn't hope to do anything for her. Disappointing. Very disappointing.

"Cinder is dead," Salem began. "The powers of the fall maiden is lost and it will take years to train up another suitable candidate. Her underling Emerald has committed suicide in her prison cell, and her last underling brought on her destruction. But not before killing Tyrian, who was the most useful out of all of you."

"My Queen," Arthur tried. "Perhaps there is-"

"Silence," Salem demanded. Arthur shut his mouth and hung his head in submission. "By the time I can form any more plans, the two of you will be too old to enact them. Your generation has ceased to yield results. Ozpin may have been killed, but he will reincarnate as he always does. Go, go forth and leave my sight. I never want to see either of you again."

Watts and Hazel looked at her, and then to each other. They couldn't refuse her demand and it wasn't like they could even if they wanted too. At the very least, they would be able to keep their lives.

Salem sighed as she looked around the now empty war room. Again, she was bested. How annoying. And this time it wasn't even Ozma who did it. It was a single human man.

"Marcus Black," She tested the name out on her tongue. Just one man. One human man who lacked any of the magical properties that made humanity so powerful in the past. He was able to do so much.

If he wasn't already dead, she would have liked to shake his hand.

"Well played."

* * *

"Hey," Ruby said as she looked down at the gravestone, packed away deep in the woods of patch. The body of Marcus Black was put to rest here per her request. Nowhere else would it be safe from those who were affected by his actions. She almost put it beside her mothers, but then that would have been too obvious. Only here in this spot would it be safe, and only here would he be able to rest without interruption. "I'm back again, heh. Another spring break!" She cheered as she knelt down.

"I'm in my last year at Beacon now, it's crazy to think about it. Weiss is going crazy over our grades and all Yang wants to do is party, which is of course bothering her." She giggled. "Oh, I almost forgot. We got a new teammate. I know, it's crazy. After dad took over the headmaster spot because of what happened to Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch, the next year this kid named Oscar joined Beacon. He was even younger than I was when I joined!" She pouted. "Anyway, Dad put him on our team and it's weird. Sometimes he's this awkward boy and the next he talks like an old man. Yang teases him for it sometimes. It was hard at first since we felt like he was replacing Blake, but we welcomed him quickly. It was nice being able to see a body in the fourth bed in our dorm again. And hey, I also have some good-ish news, even though I am sure you wouldn't care, but Winter and Weiss publicly revealed what happened all those years ago with Nicholas Schnee and your ancestor. So you are now _officially _related to the Schnee family. It doesn't mean much now… but hey, at least you're not Black anymore? Ack, that sounded bad." Ruby slapped herself in the face.

"Ugh. I just wanted to see how you were doing. I visited Mom earlier, and I'd like to think she'd have asked me to check on her best friend as well. I think Uncle Qrow was here earlier," Ruby patted around on the grass, looking for something. She found it in the form of a black beaded necklace. "Yeah, he was definitely here… He won't admit it, but he feels bad that you two never got the chance to make up. Dad does too, but he actually admitted it. Yang came to visit a few times too, but right now she is too busy working with Dad on scroll calls to try and see if they can find Raven. And Weiss promises that she will but you know… she's Weiss." Laughing nervously, she continued.

"The White Fang officially disbanded this year too, Sienna Khan broke under pressure apparently when Blake's parents came back into the fold. And after what happened in Beacon, no one wanted to be part of the organization. Speaking of organizations. The one you were a part of is still on the run." She sighed. "I don't know how they're doing it, but I promise I'll put an end to them when I get out of Beacon. General Ironwood rooted out the ones in Atlas, but I hear they're pretty active still in Vacuo and Mistral… It's a lot, I know. But after your video, the world knows about them now. It's not a secret anymore."

She brushed away at the gravestone, cleaning it of moss and overgrown grass.

"I have to go now," Ruby said once she was done cleaning the grave. "Thank you again for giving me back my semblance. After training with Harriet every time she comes to visit, I've been getting faster and faster. We've been thinking about it and we're playing around with the idea that my semblance might not _just _be speed. It's just an idea right now, but I have been able to pull off some pretty neat tricks."

The gravestone didn't reply. Ruby smiled anyway, she felt like he knew she was there somehow. As did her mom, and the happy spirits that were released after he died.

"I'll be the greatest huntress ever when I graduate, and now that Dad finally told me about my eyes, I'll be the _best_." Ruby stood up and dusted herself down. Giving the grave one last look before she left for her final few months at Beacon.

"I hope you finally found your freedom," Ruby said with a warm smile. "I'll be back soon."

_~The End~_

* * *

**And that is the end of that story. Wow, I felt really connected to this one for a long time. I am a little emotional over its end, but it had to happen sooner or later. Finally, my ultimate plan has come to fruition, it's going to make it a lot easier going forward from here now. All that I said in the last chapter remains here. This story will remain to be a fond memory for a very long time, and I am glad that I stuck through and finished it.**

**To wrap up some unexplained points. Pyrrha is the Fall maiden, it just didn't matter to me to point it out. Oscar is on the newly formed Team ROSY, which you can use your imagination as to what that abbreviation means. Salem is waiting for another generation to keep up her plans, but she was never going to be a main factor in this story. I could have included her more in this story, but after the ending, there was just no point. I wasn't going to make another thirty chapter arc dedicated to taking her down. And while one of my drafts said that Marcus might have secretly survived, I just wasn't going to do that. The story is over, and that is that. There is not going to be a **_**Destiny Fated Black, Part 2. **_

**About Jaune and his team, well, they're still a thing of course. Just not super important to the story. **

**Anyway, I have an idea for the next story after I focus on my other ones for a bit. Remember that role reversal story I talked about a while ago? Well, that might just be my next story. And my final one. As I said in the last chapter, I am planning to write a book, and in order to do that, I need time. A lot of it. And I can't spend it all writing fanfiction for a dying Internet show. All the offense to RT intended.**

**Thank you all for reading this story. It wasn't my best, but I was passionate about it. This is a **_**LOOOONG **_**chapter as well, so I am sorry if there are a few errors here and there. Me and CrowSkull are just two people, we can't find every error in a near 30k word document.**

**For the final time, please tell me what you think of this story.**

**Next story: YBWR**

**Release date? Whenever I get around to it. Maybe this year.**

**Oh boy this is going to be a long year isn't it, it already feels like it has been too long, stay safe everybody, know that we both here are working on ways to make your quarantine more tolerable, regards. -CrowSkull**

**T w itter . com (slash) genatools**

**P a treon . com (slash) Genatools**


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